Famous Clarinettists

Anton Stadler

DOB: 28 June 1753 DOD: 15 June 1812 Location: Bruck an der Leitha / Vienna, Austria Notable: Played for Mozart, inspired Clarinet Quintet K.581 and Concerto K.622.

Heinrich Baermann

DOB: 1784 DOD: 1847 Location: Germany Notable: Inspired major Romantic clarinet works.

Louis Cahuzac

DOB: 12 July 1880 DOD: 9 August 1960 Location: Quarante / Bagnères-de-Luchon, France Notable: French clarinetist and composer; one of the few early 20th-century solo performers.

Benny Goodman

DOB: 30 May 1909 DOD: 13 June 1986 Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA Notable: American jazz clarinetist, "King of Swing".

Artie Shaw

DOB: 23 May 1910 DOD: 30 December 2004 Location: New York City, USA Notable: Jazz clarinetist and bandleader, hits include "Begin the Beguine".

Anthony Gigliotti

DOB: 13 May 1922 DOD: 3 December 2001 Location: South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Notable: Principal clarinet of Philadelphia Orchestra; inventor of the Gigliotti ligature.

Stan Hasselgård

DOB: 4 October 1922 DOD: 23 November 1948 Location: Sundsvall, Sweden Notable: Swedish jazz clarinetist, swing and early bebop.

Sol Yaged

DOB: 8 December 1922 DOD: 11 May 2019 Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA Notable: Jazz clarinetist heavily influenced by Benny Goodman.

Buddy DeFranco

DOB: 17 February 1923 DOD: 24 December 2014 Location: Camden, New Jersey, USA Notable: Jazz clarinetist and bebop pioneer.

Robert Marcellus

DOB: 1 June 1928 DOD: 31 March 1996 Location: Omaha, Nebraska, USA Notable: Principal clarinet of Cleveland Orchestra; influential teacher.

Stanley Drucker

DOB: 4 February 1929 DOD: 19 December 2022 Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA Notable: Principal clarinet of New York Philharmonic; Guinness World Record holder for longest career as clarinetist.

Pete Fountain

DOB: 3 July 1930 DOD: 6 August 2016 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Notable: Jazz clarinetist with over 100 albums.

Richard Stoltzman

DOB: 12 January 1942 Location: USA Notable: Classical and jazz clarinetist.

Sabine Meyer

DOB: 10 April 1959 Location: Germany Notable: German soloist breaking gender barriers in classical music.

Martin Fröst

DOB: 1970 Location: Sweden Notable: Innovative Swedish classical clarinetist.