BIOGRAPHY

Considered one of the finest clarinettists of his generation, Kevin Spagnolo is known for his surprising spontaneity and quest for freedom.

In 2018, at only 22 years old, Kevin won the First Prize at the Geneva International Music Competition, one of the most important and prestigious competitions in the world. He is the youngest clarinetist of all time to have received this significant award in the history of the competition. From that moment on, he has been regularly invited to perform recitals, chamber music, and solo concerts at major festivals and tours. Kevin has performed as a soloist with many prestigious orchestras, among them the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta de Aguascalientes with Roman Revueltas, Brussels Philharmonic with Antonio Saiote, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève with Pierre Bleuse and Yann Kerninon, Orchestre des Nations with Vitor Fernandes and Antoine Marguier, Swedish Chamber Orchestra with Martin Fröst and Michael Collins, Orchestra Regionale Toscana with Nil Venditti, Orchestre de Chambre de l’HEM, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo with Cemi’i Can Deliorman, Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino with Giampaolo Pretto, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana with Alessandro Bonato, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana with Diego Ceretta, and Zhengzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the summer of 2024, he made his debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto under Marc Leroy-Calatayud, and in December he played Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto in Ankara with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey, conducted by Yaroslav Shemet.

In the spring of 2025, he debuted as a soloist in Brazil with the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, the Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brazilian National Orchestra of Brasília. That period also marked his appearance in a recital in Beijing. He recently performed with the Sibiu Philharmonic and the Transilvania Philharmonic in Romania.
In 2022, Kevin replaced Martin Fröst on tour, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest (broadcast live on Bartók Radio) and at Union Hall in Maribor for Slovenian Radio.
That same year, he was invited as a guest star on the Italian TV program Via dei Matti n.0 on RAI 3, hosted and accompanied by Stefano Bollani and Valentina Cenni, where he performed works from his CD. He also served as a jury member at the Cluj-Napoca International Clarinet Competition, further establishing his presence and relevance in the international clarinet scene.

In 2021, Kevin released his first CD, Façades, with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Michael Collins, featuring C.M. von Weber’s Concerto No. 1, Op. 73 and Andante e Rondo Ongarese, Jean Françaix’s Clarinet Concerto, Rossini’s Theme and Variations, and Béla Kovács’ Sholem Alekhem Rov Feidman. The CD was supported by the Geneva International Competition and Breguet. Its overarching theme is the joy of living and the many facades of life — the different shades of emotion expressed in music by diverse composers. Kevin sought to identify deeply with each composer and explore the profound meaning of life and of music through a repertoire that has accompanied him since the beginning of his career.

He has performed chamber music with artists such as Beatrice Rana, Emmanuel Pahud, Stefano Bollani, Liya Petrova, Carlos Sanchis, Chloe Ji-yeong Mun, Théo Fouchenneret, Aurélien Pascal, Lorenzo Soulès, Ettore Pagano, Massimo Spada, Andrea Obiso, Simone Rugani, and with ensembles like Quartet Voce, Szymanowski Quartet, Chaos Quartet, Quartetto Guadagnini, Quartetto Prometeo, and Quartetto Terpsychordes. He has also collaborated with Lise Berthaud, Sergey Ostrovsky, Ophélie Gaillard, Yubeen Kim, Sara Vidouvier, and performed in duo with clarinetist Vitor Fernandes accompanied by pianist Serika Saito. Kevin frequently performs in a duo with pianist Simone Rugani, with whom he has played in numerous festivals and concert halls across Italy, including Perugia Classica, Lucca Classica, Amici della Musica in Florence, Arezzo Classica, Bologna Festival, and Filarmonica Laudamo.

He began playing the clarinet at age eight at the “Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Luigi Boccherini” in Lucca, where he later completed his Bachelor’s degree with top marks and honors at the age of 17, under the guidance of Prof. Remo Pieri. During his early years, he won several local, national, and international competitions, which gave him the opportunity to perform publicly and begin his artistic journey. He continued his studies with Carlo Failli and Fabrizio Meloni before being admitted to the prestigious Conservatoire de Genève. At the Haute École de Musique de Genève, he completed his first Master’s degree in 2017, receiving a special prize, followed by his second Master’s degree in “Soliste” with Romain Guyot in 2019.

Beyond the Geneva International Music Competition, Kevin has received Third Prize at the Jacques Lancelot International Clarinet Competition in 2016, Third Prize at the Ghent International Clarinet Competition in 2017, and the First Grand Prize at the Berliner International Music Competition. Since 2021, he has developed a strong passion for teaching, enjoying the opportunity to share what he has learned from his teachers and from his wide-ranging musical experiences. He regularly gives masterclasses in conservatories around the world, from China to Brazil.

PRESS QUOTES

“What he gave us in the clarinet concerto, the suggestive playfulness, the imagination in just about every little detail is completely exceptional. I would also like to add that he showed us the enchanting duality of the work. On the one hand, the childlike simplicity, onn the other hand, the permeating purity that runs like a common thread throughout the concert. This duality appeared in an incredibly fne way in Kevin Spagnolo’s fantastically suggestive and very, very virtuoso clarinet playing”
Bartok radio – About the Mozart clarinet Concerto with Swedish chamber Orchestra in Franz Liszt Academy, Budapest

«Leaning on an exceptional instrumental control, Kevin Spagnolo is known for his surprising spontaneity and his research for freedom, pushing his play until the limits of the possibilities of his instrument with which he more seems to make than one. Curious, roguish musician, trying to share all his feelings with the public, he pursues permanently his discovery of new repertoire, as shown by his recent afection for the chamber music and klezmer music.. »
CONCOURS INTERNATIONAL DE GENÈVE