CLAUDIO JAFFÉ, cellist 

Hailed by The New York Times as “an elegant and accomplished artist” of “taste, technique, 

musicianship, and a contagious youthful enthusiasm”, Claudio Jaffé fascinates his audiences 

with his colorful and passionate virtuosity. 

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Jaffé has performed in some of the most prestigious concert 

halls around the world, including the Weill Recital Hall, Town Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall in New 

York City; the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires; Sala Cecilia 

Meireles in Rio de Janeiro; Sociedade Cultura Artistica in São Paulo; Wigmore Hall in London; 

Suntory Hall in Tokyo; and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. His performance was found to be 

“eloquent with pathos and tenderness” bythe New London Day, which further commented on Jaffé’s 

“superb intonation, robust sound, and overall musical command”. 

Jaffé made his orchestral debut at the age of 11, performing a concerto written for him by Brazilian 

composer Radames Gnattali. At the age of 18, he made his first appearance as a soloist with a major 

symphony orchestra. A winner of the International Villa-Lobos Cello Competition, Jaffé has performed 

with international orchestras such as the Slovak Philharmonic, the Calgary Symphony, and the 

Brazilian orchestras of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraíba, and Goiânia. He has also performed 

throughout the United States with the Delaware, Lexington, Elgin, Greenville, Augusta, Rockford, 

Missouri,Olympia, Bridgeport,Pensacola, Jackson,Owensboro,Paducah, and Columbus symphony 

orchestras to name just a few. 

Chosen to perform in the Select Debut Series, Jaffé made his New York City debut recital at Town 

Hall. He performed throughout his native country as the winner of the Young Artists of Brazil 

Competition. As a prizewinner of numerous competitions, Jaffé won first place in the Villa-Lobos 

International Cello Competition, the East and West Young Artists Competition that awarded him a solo 

recital at Carnegie Recital Hall, and several symphony orchestra competitions where he was invited to 

perform as soloist (New London, CT; Poughkeepsie, NY; Pasadena, CA).He was a semi-finalist in 

major International competitions including the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, 

Russia; the Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in Florence, Italy; the Naumburg 

Competition in New York; the Maria Canals International Competition in Barcelona, Spain; and the 

Viña del Mar International Music Competition in Chile. Jaffé was also selected as Musical America’s 

Young Artists of 1987. 

In addition to performing in over 40 U.S. states, Jaffé has been an active educator. He has conducted 

master classes around the world and has served on the faculty at several music festivals. He was a 

faculty member at Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University, and for 4 years 

served as Dean of the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University. He created and directs the String 

program at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, FL and has been the Resident Conductor of the 

Florida Youth Orchestra for over 14 years. 

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Jaffé began his cello studies at the age of seven and gave his first public 

concert at the age of eleven. His early teachers included Iberê Gomes Grosso,his father Alberto 

Jaffé, Antonio Guerra Vicente, and Juarez Johnson. At the age of fifteen, he received an invitation by 

the distinguished Yale professor of cello Aldo Parisot to study in the United States. Subsequently, 

Jaffé earned his undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees from Yale University under Parisot’s 

tutelage. Jaffé studied in Masterclasses and special workshops with great masters of the cello 

including Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Paul Tortelier, Tokyo String Quartet, Janos Starker, Nathaniel 

Rosen, and Ralph Kirshbaum. 

claudiojaffe@comcast.net      www.claudiojaffe.com 

Joanne Rile Artists Management www.rilearts.com