About Nora Shaffer

Nora Shaffer is a freelancer and private instructor in the Chicago area. She has had the pleasure of performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera, Milwaukee Ballet, and many other area ensembles. She is a performing member with the Chicago Philharmonic. She is a member of CFM Local 10-208.

A proud DePaul University graduate, she studied with Larry Combs and Julie DeRoche while earning a Performer’s Certificate and Masters in Music (with distinction). She completed a B.A. at Luther College, Decorah, IA and has also studied with Stephen Williamson, Bil Jackson, and Andrew Stevens.

Passionate about chamber music, Nora is a founding member (Clarinet 1/Eb Clarinet) of the Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet. As Vandoren artists, the quartet concertizes and presents clinics across the Midwest. The Quartet released their second album, Cooler by the Lake in January 2024. The album was featured on the 98.7 WFMT 2023 fall pledge drive. The quartet’s debut album, Nielsen, Grainger, & Strauss was released October of 2019. Notable performances include the opening concert of the 2020 Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, the International Clarinet Association’s 2019 and 2017 Clarinetfest, a 2017 residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, and at the 2012 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
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Nora is the Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Concordia University Chicago (River Forest, IL). She maintains a private studio in Chicago, as well as a significant studio at Naperville North and Central High Schools (Naperville, IL). Her talented students have participated at Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa All State Bands/Orchestras, received consistently high marks at Solo Ensemble Festivals, moved higher within their respective sections, and have been accepted to study clarinet at many quality universities. Most notably, Nora’s studio maintains a 100% success rate for college music scholarships (majors and non-majors alike), with most students awarded tens of thousands