Famous Clarinetists of the World — From Classical to Jazz
With its warm timbre and wide range, the clarinet is a highly popular instrument across many genres, including concert band, classical, and jazz.
Another hallmark of the clarinet is its versatility: it adapts to a variety of performance settings, from ensembles to solo playing.
Many people may have first learned of the instrument through the well-known children’s song “I Broke My Clarinet.”
In this article, we’ve gathered notable clarinetists from around the world who are active in classical and jazz.
Read on, and the clarinet might start to feel even more familiar to you.
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Famous Clarinetists of the World — From Classical to Jazz (41–50)
Memories of You／Eubie BlakeKitamura Eiji
Speaking of representative Japanese jazz clarinetists, the name that likely comes to mind is Eiji Kitamura.
With his white hair as a trademark and frequent appearances on television, he’s well known even among people who aren’t jazz fans.
Kitamura picked up the clarinet when he was a university student and debuted at the age of 22.
After turning 50, he also studied classical techniques, broadening his musical range.
In 2007, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.
Musette of Melancholy / SantanaAkasaka Tatsuzō
Tatsuzo Akasaka, a world-renowned clarinetist of whom Japan is proud.
After graduating from Kunitachi College of Music, he won first prize in both clarinet and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
Boasting an illustrious list of awards, including third prize at the Toulon International Music Competition, he is also known for being hailed by Pamela Weston of the International Clarinet Association as “a prodigy of the past 40 years.” He has released numerous solo albums and enjoys overwhelming support from classical music fans.
From 2012 to 2020, he served as a professor at Elisabeth University of Music, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation.
Clarinet Concerto / Aaron CoplandHarold Wright
1926–1993, a renowned former clarinetist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
This piece was composed by Copland at the request of jazz musician Benny Goodman.
Although it was written for clarinet and string orchestra including piano and harp—so it is often performed by classical musicians—it also contains a great many elements of jazz.
Rapsodie No. 1 / Claude DebussyFlorent Héau
A clarinetist from France.
This is a very famous piece that is also used as a competition set piece; it begins with a flowing, gently moist melody and gradually transitions into a fiercely, almost madly agitated one.
Befitting the era of the French composer Debussy, it evokes an Impressionistic image.
Symphony No. 7 “Unfinished” / Franz SchubertAlois Brandhofer
Studied under Rudolf Jettel, principal clarinetist of the String Orchestra.
After serving as principal clarinetist of the Vienna Symphony, he is now the principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic.
In Schubert’s Symphony No.
7, his solo—like a dialogue with the oboe—is particularly striking.