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 just 22 years old, Kevin won the First Prize at the Geneva International Music Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious music contests. He is the youngest clarinetist ever to receive this distinguished award. Following this triumph, Kevin received invitations for recitals, chamber music, and solo concerts at prominent festivals and tours worldwide, and his profound musicality and technical prowess have since positioned him as a sought-after performer on the global stage. Kevin has performed as a soloist with numerous esteemed orchestras. These include the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Anton Shaburov, the Sofa Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta de Aguascalientes with Roman Revueltas, the Brussels Philharmonic with Antonio Saiote, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève with Pierre Bleuse, and Orchestre des Nations with Vitor Fernandes and Antoine Marguier. He also collaborated with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra under Martin Fröst and Michael Collins, the Orchestra Regionale Toscana on tour with Nil Venditti, the Orchestre de Chambre de l’HEM, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo with Cem’i Can Deliorman, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino with Giampaolo Pretto, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana with Alessandro Bonato and the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana with Diego Ceretta. In the summer of 2024, Kevin will make his debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Marc Leroy-Catalayud, playing Mozart Clarinet Concerto.

In 2022, Kevin substituted for Martin Fröst on a tour, performing the Mozart 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. The same year, he was a guest star on the Italian TV program “Via dei Matti n.0” on RAI 3, hosted by Stefano Bollani and Valentina Cenni, performing pieces from his CD. Kevin released his first CD “Façades” in 2021 with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Michael Collins. The CD features works by C.M. von Weber, Jean Françaix, Rossini, and Béla Kovacs. Supported by the Geneva International Competition and Breguet, the CD explores the themes of joy and the various emotional facades of life, resonating with Kevin’s artistic identity.

Kevin has played chamber music with renowned musicians such as Beatrice Rana, Emmanuel Pahud, Stefano Bollani, Liya Petrova, Carlos Sanchis, Chloë Jiyeong Mun, Théo Fouchenneret, Aurélien Pascal, Lorenzo Soulès, and Simone Rugani. He has also collaborated with string quartets like Quartet Voce, Szymanowski Quartet, Quartetto Guadagnini, Quartetto Prometeo, and Quartet Terpsychordes, and with artists like Lise Berthaud, Sergey Ostrovsky, Ophélie Gaillard, and Yubeen Kim. He frequently performs in a duo with pianist Simone Rugani, and has done tours in important Festivals in Italy, including Bologna Festival, Perugia Classica, Amici della Musica di Firenze, Filarmonica di Rovereto among others.

Kevin’s performances have graced prestigious venues and festivals, including the Berliner Philharmonie, Rheingau Musik Festival, Mariinsky Theater, Solti Hall in Budapest, Teatro Verdi Firenze, Montpellier Festival (Festival Radio France), Classiche Forme Festival, Festival de les Haudères, Festival de Jeunes Talents in Paris, Rencontres Musicales de Champery, Concerts d’été à Saint Germain in Geneva, Blaibach Konzert Saison, France Musique Auditorium in Paris, and Filarmonica di Rovereto. His concerts have been broadcast on Radio France, Bayerischer Rundfunk, RAI Radio 3, and Radio Suisse Romande.

Kevin began playing the clarinet at age eight and studied at the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Luigi Boccherini in Lucca, completing his Bachelor’s Degree with top honors at 17 under Professor Remo Pieri. He won several local, national, and international competitions early in his career. After studying with Carlo Failli and Fabrizio Meloni, Kevin attended the prestigious Conservatory in Geneva, where he earned his frst Master’s Degree with a special prize in 2017 and his second Master’s Degree Soliste with Romain Guyot in 2019. Besides the Geneva International Competition, Kevin won 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, Kevin has been giving lessons and masterclasses across Europe and regularly teaches at the International Music School Avos Project in Rome. Kevin has been recognized among the greatest modern clarinetists and continues to make signifcant contributions to the classical music world.

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.»
GENEVA INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION