Charles Neidich

Clarinetist and conductor Charles Neidich, winner of the 1985 Naumburg competition, brings together virtuoso performance, musical scholarship, and a commitment to expanding the clarinet repertoire. His work encompasses contemporary music and historically informed performance on both modern and period instruments.

Neidich has performed with the Royal Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Tafelmusik, and has collaborated with the Juilliard, Guarneri, Brentano, and American string quartets. His festival appearances span Europe, Asia, and North America, including Marlboro, Sarasota, and the BBC Proms.

As founder of the period-instrument wind ensemble Mozzafiato, he has explored historical approaches to phrasing, ornamentation, and improvisation. His restorations of works by Mozart, Weber, Copland, and Schumann have brought original versions back into performance. His advocacy for new music includes premieres of works by Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Joan Tower, and Helmut Lachenmann, alongside extensive recordings for major classical labels.

Neidich studied anthropology at Yale before receiving a Fulbright grant to attend the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied with clarinetist Boris Dikov and pianist Kirill Vinogradov. His teaching has included Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, and Queens College. Through performances, master classes, and lecture-recitals, he shares an approach to interpretation grounded in close study of the score and the expressive character of each work.