Nicolai Pfeffer (DE)

A consummate performer and scholar, Nicolai Pfeffer is hailed by the press for his personal blend of fluid technique, his colorful tone, and unique musical voice. Even as a student this young musician was described by the legendary Viennese clarinettist Alfred Prinz as “an excellent clarinettist and a sensitive musician—one who plays with both technical command of the instrument and captivating musicality.”

Mr. Pfeffer is the recipient of many prizes, scholarships and grants, his orchestral experience includes tenures with the Cologne Opera, the Kammermphilharmonie Bremen, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Athens State Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony. He has performed in major concert halls in Germany including Munich's prestigious Herkulessaal, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Cologne Philharmonie, and at many high-profile festivals in Europe, the United States, South America and the Middle East. He is also a passionate soloist and chamber musician, and for many years has performed extensively with the pianist Felix Wahl. Mr. Pfeffer made his solo debut with Milan’s La Scala Orchestra under Maestro Fabio Luisi in the summer of 2018

The same passion and expertise that drives Mr. Pfeffer’s performances also inspires his musicological research and teaching activities. He is a highly-sought instructor at the Grünwald School of Music in Munich, and serves on the clarinet faculties of the prestigious Cologne Hochschule für Musik, the Pre-CollegeCologne, the Hanover Hochschule für Musik, Tanz und Medien, the Bremen Hochschule für Künste. He has given masterclasses and lectures at universities and conservatories in Cologne, Vienna, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Michigan, and many others.

Nicolai Pfeffer is highly involved in the development of new scholarly editions for clarinet chamber music and solo literature. The fruits of these labours are manifested in critical editions published by G. Henle Verlag, Breitkopf & Härtel, Bärenreiter, and Edition Peters, which have collectively received high praise from experts for their exemplary textual criticism.

Rounding off his wide-ranging activities are masterclasses for the Baremboim-Said Foundation and radio and television broadcasts for Germany’s public broadcaster ARD, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and Hessischer Rundfunk. Nicolai Pfeffer is a proud Silverstein and Schwenk & Seggelke performing artist.