Mark van de Wiel
Clarinet
“Mark van de Wiel’s performance of the solo version of Domaines (1961-8) proved a stunning tour de force. … van de Wiel’s equally outstanding virtuosity and musical understanding.”
Boulez Domaines
Mark Berry, Seen and Heard International, 2025
The honour of the most touching playing of the evening fell to Mark van de Wiel. His achingly far-away sound laid a spell on the hall.
Ivan Hewett, Daily Telegraph 2025
Biography
Mark van de Wiel is long established as one of our leading clarinettists, appearing at major venues as a well-known soloist and chamber musician. Principal clarinet of the Philharmonia from 2000 to 2025, Mark is principal of the London Sinfonietta (since 2002) and previously of Welsh National Opera, the London Chamber Orchestra and Endymion. He has appeared as soloist with the Philharmonia (under conductors such as Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Edward Gardner and John Wilson), the London Sinfonietta, and the LCO (including a solo appearance at La Scala, Milan).
Noted for performances of contemporary music, in 2026 Mark gave the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s clarinet concerto Rainbow, which he jointly commissioned with the Philharmonia, to a sold-out Royal Festival Hall under Santtu-Matias Rouvali, together with the Copland Clarinet Concerto. Earlier in the same hall he premiered Joseph Phibbs’s Clarinet Concerto which he also jointly commissioned with the Philharmonia and Malmö Live Konserthus. Mark also performed the premiere of the Van der Aa concerto, Hysteresis, commissioned for him by the London Sinfonietta, among many other world and national premieres. He has played Boulez’s Domaines at the Proms and Berio’s Sequenza in the Sydney Opera House. Chamber music collaborators have included Vladimir Ashkenazy, Elizabeth Leonskaja, the Quarteto Camargo Guarneri of São Paolo, the Dante Quartet, the Tippett Quartet and the Brodsky Quartet with whom he premiered Joseph Phibbs’s Clarinet Quintet.
Recordings include the Nielsen Concerto with the Philharmonia and Paavo Järvi, the Joseph Phibbs and Mozart Concertos with the Philharmonia, LCO and Christopher Warren-Green, Bartok’s Contrasts with Zsolt-Tihamer Visontay and Yefim Bronfman on Signum, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time on Psalmus, and a disc of chamber works by Alissa Firsova on Vivat.
Jonathan Dove’s Rainbow will be released by Signum as part of a clarinet concerto album under Santtu. Mark’s forthcoming Signum releases also include quintets by Anna Clyne, Ruth Gipps and Weber with Philharmonia colleagues, an album of Mozart and Joseph Phibbs (a new clarinet quintet jointly commissioned with Jouko Heikura) with the Brodsky Quartet, and a Peter Maxwell Davies album with the London Sinfonietta.
Born in Northampton and educated at Oxford and the Royal College of Music, Mark is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, where he is a Professor, and has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Northampton University. Mark is a committed teacher, with ex-students holding principal positions in a number of major orchestras.
Mark van de Wiel is represented worldwide by LoganArts Management Ltd.
For more information, please contact Andrew Logan, Director at +44 (0) 7841 582 851 or at info@loganartsmanagement.com
http://www.loganartsmanagement.com
“Mark van de Wiel’s performance of the solo version of Domaines (1961-8) proved a stunning tour de force. The performer’s one-man show extended to two, counting his instrument, apart from, and how can it be apart from?, van de Wiel’s equally outstanding virtuosity and musical understanding.”
Boulez Domaines
Mark Berry, Seen and Heard International, 2025
“Clarinettist Mark van de Wiel is a familiar part of the London contemporary scene, and his virtuosity is beyond words. The opening was preternaturally quiet and perfectly controlled. He found the right sense of cantabile, too, his sound velvety, impeccably beautiful and sudden flowerings of rhythm were most effective. The core juxtapositions were perfectly judged.”
Stephen Gerber Duet for solo clarinet.
Colin Clarke, Seen and Heard International, 2026
The honour of the most touching playing of the evening fell to Mark van de Wiel. His achingly far-away sound laid a spell on the hall.
Ivan Hewett, Daily Telegraph 2025
van de Wiel tackled the long phrases effortlessly and seamlessly. A superb demonstration of van de Wiel’s acuity followed in the peerless phrasing of the cadenza, one of the pianississimo echoes was sublime.
Barry Creasy, Music OMH 2026
Mark van de Wiel breathed life into the atonal lines of Boulez’s solo clarinet writing, making each gesture feel completely natural. Buzzing trills and harmonically rich overblowing reinforced the clarinettist’s assertive presence.
Marat Ingeldeev, Bachtrack 2025
van de Wiel mastered Weber’s increasingly athletic demands with flair and musicality.
Ben Hogwood, Arcana Fm 2025
There was indeed joy and exuberance in the performance, with van de Wiel taking the solo part. It was a stellar performance by the soloist.
Christopher Woolley, Bachtrack 2025
van de Wiel’s playing always displays his customary assurance of technique and tone. The performance is top-notch.
David Threasher, Gramophone
Mark van de Wiel proved an eloquent advocate (of the Finzi Clarinet Concerto).
Barry Millington, The Standard
July 2026
Note :
Mark van de Wiel is represented worldwide by LoganArts Management Ltd.
For more information, please contact Andrew Logan, Director at +44 (0) 7841 582 851 or at info@loganartsmanagement.com
http://www.loganartsmanagement.com
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