Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe highlights the clarinet as a solo instrument on the international stage. A former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Annelien has won numerous international competitions. Her joint Second Prize award at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2012 was a decisive step towards international recognition. She won a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2018 and an Opus Klassik Award in 2020 with her debut album Belle époque (Pentatone).
Annelien’s concerto engagements for the 2026/27 season include concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of India, the Hankyung Philharmonic, the Saarländisches Staatsorchester, the Jenaer Philharmonie at the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Hofer Symphoniker, the Rzeszów Philharmonic and the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra. She also tours with the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Sinfonieorchester and the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, marking her debut at the Philharmonie de Paris with the premiere of Benjamin Attahir’s Love is Louder, a concerto for clarinet, perfumer and orchestra written for and dedicated to her.
In the 2027/28 season, Annelien Van Wauwe will serve as Artist in Residence of the Belgian National Orchestra at BOZAR, presenting several concerto performances alongside chamber music projects and masterclasses.
Annelien Van Wauwe records exclusively for the Pentatone label. Her debut album Belle époque, recorded with the Orchestre National de Lille and conductor Alexandre Bloch, was released in 2019 and received an Opus Klassik Award in 2020. Her concerto recording FLOW with the NDR Radiophilharmonie under Andrew Manze features basset clarinet concertos by Mozart and Wim Henderickx and was released in 2022. Her next album, featuring concertos by Aaron Copland and Gerald Finzi with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Nicolò Foron, will be released by Pentatone in February 2027.
She has performed with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide, including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, SWR Symphonieorchester Stuttgart, Deutsche Radiophilharmonie, Dresdner Philharmonie, Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, PHION Orkest van Gelderland & Overijssel, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Brussels Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Cannes, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Metz Grand Est, Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, NOSPR Katowice, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Szczecin Philharmonic, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, OFUNAM Mexico, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Münchner Kammerorchester, Wiener Kammerorchester, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and numerous BBC orchestras, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and BBC Concert Orchestra. She has worked with conductors including Andrew Manze, Vasily Petrenko, Martyn Brabbins, Joshua Weilerstein, Jac van Steen, Michael Schønwandt, Jun Märkl, James MacMillan, Mario Venzago, Darrell Ang, Finnegan Downie Dear, Ryan Bancroft, Rafael Payare, Clemens Schuldt, Markus Stenz, Nuno Coelho, Thomas Dausgaard, Hartmut Haenchen, Otto Tausk, Marta Gardolińska, Anja Bihlmaier, Emilia Hoving, Kristiina Poska, Karina Canellakis, Edo de Waart and Dirk Brossé.
Annelien has appeared regularly at prestigious venues including Tonhalle Zürich, Berliner Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall in London, BOZAR in Brussels, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Amare The Hague, De Doelen Rotterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Incheon Culture & Arts Center, Rudolfinum in Prague and Müpa Budapest. She is a regular guest at international music festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Kissinger Sommer, Cheltenham Music Festival, West Cork Chamber Music Festival and Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier.
In 2017, Annelien made her debut at the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall. In 2018, BBC television filmed her performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Thomas Dausgaard at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2023, she performed Copland’s Clarinet Concerto at the same venue with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Ryan Bancroft.
Annelien’s interest in new music has inspired several composers to write music for her. In 2017, Manfred Trojahn dedicated his Sonata V to her. She practises yoga intensively, which strongly influences her clarinet playing and led to a composition commission for Wim Henderickx. His concerto SUTRA for basset clarinet, orchestra and electronics is based on the philosophical principles of yoga and was co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. It was premiered in 2022 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Future concerto collaborations include Benjamin Attahir’s Love is Louder for clarinet, perfumer and orchestra in 2026 and Annelies Van Parys’ Clarinet Concerto in 2028.
An inspired chamber musician, Annelien founded the chamber music ensemble CAROUSEL in 2019. Highlights of the ensemble’s activity include concerts at De Bijloke in Ghent, deSingel in Antwerp, Concertgebouw Brugge, De Vereeniging in Nijmegen, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Mozartfest Würzburg and Wigmore Hall in London. Sofia Avramidou, Aftab Darvishi, Calliope Tsoupaki, Nina Šenk, Annelies Van Parys and Wim Henderickx have composed premieres for the ensemble. Her other chamber music partners include Danae Dörken, Paloma Kouider, Cédric Tiberghien, Severin von Eckardstein, Vineta Sareika, Alexandra Soumm, Anaïs Gaudemard, Quatuor Danel, Schumann Quartet, Leonkoro Quartet, Quatuor Van Kuijk, Aris Quartet, Zemlinsky Quartet, Trio Karénine and Amatis Trio.
Annelien studied with Sabine Meyer in Lübeck, Pascal Moraguès in Paris, Alessandro Carbonare in Rome, and Wenzel Fuchs and Ralf Forster in Berlin. She also participated in classes with her mentor Yehuda Gilad in Los Angeles. Annelien has a strong affinity for early music and studied historical clarinet with Eric Hoeprich in Paris and Ernst Schlader in Trossingen. She is a Buffet Crampon artist and plays the Vintage clarinet model.
A sought-after pedagogue, Annelien regularly gives masterclasses and teaches at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague.
“Her playing has abundant warmth and lyricism, allied to a sinuous vocal quality.”
Classical Source
“Soloist Annelien Van Wauwe, gave a stunning performance with a wonderful sense of phrasing and meandering effortlessly across upper and lower registers.”
Bachtrack