Nicholas Carpenter

Nicholas Carpenter is Principal Clarinet of the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Nicholas studied at the Royal College of Music with Dame Thea King and John McCaw. Upon leaving, he joined the Bournemouth Sinfonietta as principal clarinet, a position which he held for ten years.

In 1995 Nicholas was invited to join the London Philharmonic Orchestra where he remained for the next eighteen years playing Principal, Eb and Sub-principal Clarinet. Whilst at the LPO 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 abroad, and his recording of the Mozart Clarinet Quintet for EMI was the ‘Best Recording’ recommendation by BBC Radio 3 in ‘Building a Library’.

Nicholas is much in demand as a teacher and woodwind coach and has regularly given masterclasses throughout the UK and abroad.

Nicholas Carpenter plays Uebel clarinets and D’Addario reeds.

Nicholas now pursues a very varied career as freelance clarinettist, clarinet teacher, woodwind consultant and conductor. Recent appearances as guest principal clarinet have included with Royal Opera House, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia, and he is now regularly in the recording studio where can be heard on many contemporary soundtracks such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the Avengers; Endgame films.