Nicolas Baldeyrou is one of Europe’s leading clarinetists. As Principal Clarinet of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, his career spans solo performance, orchestral playing, historical instruments, and the development of the clarinet itself.
Artist Playbook caught up with the ARD International Music Competition winner to explore his artistic evolution and the experiences that have shaped his musical voice.
You entered the Paris Conservatoire at 14 and won the ARD Competition at 19. How did that early success shape you?
Early recognition was never a finish line. It was simply a green light telling me I was on the right path to keep working. An artistic voice is built day after day, year after year, through relentless curiosity. True success is about earning the freedom to keep evolving.
You’ve combined orchestral life with solo work, teaching, arranging, and more. What has the orchestra given you that a purely solo career could not?
The orchestra reveals the minds of great composers from the inside out. It plunges you into a limitless repertoire and forces you to reinvent how you project, listen, and blend in ways solo playing never demands. It offers an artistic depth you cannot unlock on your own.
Most importantly, living that reality every week nourishes me as a teacher and helps prepare the next generation for the stage.
Your interest in historical clarinets suggests that progress is not always about the new. What can older instruments reveal that modern ones conceal?
When you strip away modern homogeneity, the music regains its true contrast. Modern instruments pursue perfection and uniformity, while period clarinets reveal the raw character the composers actually heard.
The warm grain of boxwood, the uneven registers, and even the natural imperfections were intentional colors in their sonic architecture. The music suddenly regains its original spirit.
You’ve helped develop the clarinet itself. Has understanding its construction changed how you imagine sound?
Mastering the instrument’s inner mechanics has been a game changer.It is an immense honor to help shape instruments that become true stage partners for colleagues all over the world. Testing such a vast volume of clarinets has given me a deep understanding of acoustic projection, intonation, and keywork ergonomics. That knowledge has directly elevated the control, freedom, and depth of my own performances.
Some of your most widely seen performances began as playful online videos. What have they taught you about seriousness, accessibility, and reaching new audiences?
Classical music doesn’t need to be solemn or sacred. Playfulness is one of the most direct bridges to a new audience. Having fun online should never mean dumbing things down. The execution must remain uncompromisingly at the highest level.
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