Nicolai Pfeffer

Nicolai Pfeffer ‘presents strong dynamic contrasts, a wealth of colour, sensitivity and passion’, sums up The Clarinet, and DER SPIEGEL also recently raved about the ‘colourful, iridescent clarinet sound of this highly virtuoso wind player’. Among the younger generation, ‘the clarinet poet’ (la Repubblica) is in demand at home and abroad as a soloist, chamber musician and accomplished teacher.

In addition to his extensive artistic activities, he devotes himself with great interest to new editions of chamber music and solo compositions for the clarinet, which have been published by such renowned music publishers as G. Henle Verlag and Breitkopf & Härtel, in addition to his own arrangements. Radio, CD and television recordings as well as concerts in the most important concert halls in Germany and Europe round off his activities as a musician. In 2018, he made his debut under Fabio Luisi at the Festival della Valle d'Itria. He has also performed with Markus Stenz, Daniel Spaw, Mario Venzago and Jonathan Webb.

His discography now includes the clarinet sonatas by Brahms (Cavi/Deutsche Grammophon), concertos by Mozart and Weber (Novantiqua) as well as other highly acclaimed concerto and chamber music recordings. Nicolai Pfeffer studied with Ralph Manno at the Cologne Musikhochschule and with Howard Klug and Alfred Prinz (Indiana University/USA), among others, and is now a much sought-after teacher himself. He currently teaches at leading European universities: the Cologne University of Music and Dance, the Hanover University of Music, Theatre and Media and the Zurich University of the Arts. Pfeffer is also a popular juror at national and international clarinet and chamber music competitions. He is President of the European Clarinet Association.