Claire Howard Race obtained First Class Honours and the University Medal from Newcastle Conservatorium before continuing postgraduate piano accompaniment studies at the Canberra School of Music, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow and at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Her teachers have included Malcolm Martineau, Iain Ledingham, John Thwaites, Natalia Ricci, Susanne Powell and Colin Spiers.
She was awarded the Broadwood Junior Piano Accompanist Fellowship from the RSAMD and has been recognised with sponsorship from the Geoffrey Parsons Trust, Tait Memorial Trust, Hope Scott Trust and the Alex Menzies Memorial Fund, the latter being awarded "to an outstanding accompanist" at the RSAMD.