Nick Carpenter Clarinet Masterclass

We are delighted to welcome Nick Carpenter to take a masterclass with our students.

Nicholas Carpenter studied the clarinet at the Royal College of Music with Thea King and John McCaw. Immediately upon leaving, he joined the Bournemouth Sinfonietta as Principal Clarinet and held that position for 10 years.

In 1995 he was invited to join the London Philharmonic Orchestra, where he remained for the next 18 years playing Principal, E flat and Sub-principal Clarinet. While there he also appeared as guest principal clarinet with virtually every professional orchestra in England.

Chamber music has also been an integral part of his career, particularly with members of the London Philharmonic and Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He has appeared many times at the Wigmore Hall as well as venues around UK and internationally, and his recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet was chosen as Best Recording in BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library.

He is much in demand as a teacher and woodwind coach and has regularly given masterclasses throughout the UK and abroad. He taught at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (2006–17), was Head of Woodwind at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (2017–20) and now teaches the clarinet at RWCMD and Trinity College, London.

Recent appearances as guest principal clarinet have included with Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia. He also appears on many contemporary soundtracks, such as the films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Avengers: Endgame.

In 2021 he was appointed Principal Clarinet with the BBC Concert Orchestra and last year he was appointed Principal Clarinet with BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

If you would like to attend this masterclass please email concerts@purcell-school.org .
The masterclass is free to attend but donations to a retiring collection will be gratefully received.