Nicholas Carpenter

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.

Clarinét

Astudiodd Nicholas Carpenter y clarinét yn y Coleg Cerdd Brenhinol gyda Thea King a John McCaw. Yn syth ar ôl gadael, ymunodd â’r Bournemouth Sinfonietta yn Brif Glarinét a daliodd y swydd honno am 10 mlynedd.

Ym 1995 fe’i gwahoddwyd i ymuno â Cherddorfa Ffilharmonig Llundain, lle’r arhosodd am y 18 mlynedd nesaf yn chwarae’r Prif Glarinét, yr y Clarinét E feddalnod a'r Is-brif Glarinét. Tra oedd yno fe ymddangosodd hefyd fel prif glarinét gwadd gyda bron bob cerddorfa broffesiynol yn Lloegr.

Mae cerddoriaeth siambr wedi bod yn rhan annatod o’i yrfa hefyd, yn enwedig gydag aelodau o Gerddorfa Ffilharmonig Llundain ac Academi St Martin in the Fields. Mae wedi ymddangos sawl gwaith yn Neuadd Wigmore yn ogystal â lleoliadau ledled Prydain a’r byd, a dewiswyd ei recordiad o Bumawd Clarinét Mozart fel y Recordiad Gorau yn rhaglen BBC Radio 3, Building a Library.

Mae galw mawr amdano fel athro a hyfforddwr chwythbrennau ac mae wedi rhoi dosbarthiadau meistr yn rheolaidd ledled y wlad a thramor. Bu’n dysgu yn Ysgol Gerdd a Drama’r Guildhall (2006–17), bu’n Bennaeth Chwythbrennau yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru (2017–20) ac mae bellach yn dysgu’r clarinét yn y Coleg Cerdd a Drama a Choleg y Drindod, Llundain.

Mae wedi ymddangos yn ddiweddar fel prif glarinét gwadd gyda’r Opera Brenhinol, Covent Garden, y Gerddorfa Ffilharmonig Frenhinol, Cerddorfa Ffilharmonig Frenhinol Lerpwl, a Philharmonia. Mae’n ymddangos hefyd ar nifer o draciau sain cyfoes, fel y ffilmiau Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ac Avengers: Endgame.

Yn 2021 cafodd ei benodi’n Brif Glarinét gyda Cherddorfa Gyngerdd y BBC a’r llynedd fe’i penodwyd yn Brif Glarinét gyda Cherddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC.