Thorsten Johanns

A leading wind player, clarinetist Thorsten Johanns is equally in demand as a soloist, chamber player, and educator. While still a student, Johanns was named deputy principal clarinet of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra in 1988, aged just 22. In 2001, he became the principal clarinetist of the WDR Symphony Orchestra. His first recording of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, came with that orchestra that year. Johanns has served as guest principal clarinetist with various major orchestras and has appeared in many countries as a soloist. An enthusiastic chamber player, Johanns has collaborated with oboist Heinz Holliger and pianist Moritz Eggert, and he is a member of several ensembles. In 2023, Johanns issued an album of chamber music by composer Josef Labor.