Principal clarinet of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra Giovanni Punzi is Born in Salerno in 1989 and graduated with a performer’s degree for clarinet in 2006. Even tought the young age, Punzi actually ranks among the most distinguished european clarinet players of his generation.
After his debut as soloist at the age of 14 with the Bulgary National Orchestra he performed in the main concert halls of Europe, USA, Mexico, South America, Russia and China
Student of Calogero Palermo and Alessandro Carbonare in Rome at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia he continued his studies at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris with Philippe Berrod and at the Royal Danish Academy with John Kruse
In 2011 he is awarded by the Honour Diplom offered at the best students ever by the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena
He started his Orchestral Activity at the age of 20 as solo clarinet in the Orchestra ”I Pomeriggi musicali’ in Milan. After having performed with the most important italian Orchestras Since 2012 to 2013 Giovanni Punzi has been Principal Clarinet of the ‘Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne”.
Principal clarinet of the Youth talian Orchestra from 2008 to 2009 He has been invited to perform as principal clarinet with some of the most representetive Youth Orchestras worldwide such as the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchestra, the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and the Shleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra playng under the direction of some of the most important music directors like R.Muti, V. Gergiev, D.Gatti, K.Nagano, Y. Temirkanov….
He has played as soloist withThe Polish Chamber Orchestra, Cophenagen Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Paris, Gyor Philharmonic, the Freiburger Philarmoniker, Chamber Orchestra of Serbia, Odense Symphoni Orchester, Orchestra of the London Royal College Academy Orchestra, the Rouen’s Opera House Orchestra, The Royal Danish Academy Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Parma. Giovanni Punzi has played all the most representative clarinet concertos of his repertory from Mozart to Francaix.
In the last five years Punzi has been awarded in over then 10 among the most distinguished International Clarinet Competitions like in Paris (Claude Debussy Competition 2010), Rouen (Jacques Lancelot Competition 2011), Belgrade (Jeunesses Musicales), Freiburg and Horice (Prague).
In fact he is actually one of the most awarded clarinet player of International Competition worldwide of the last years.
He recorded for Tactus, Brilliant Classics (Integral works for Clarinet by Schumann and Bruch), Dux (inedited works written and dedicated to him), Radio France, Radio Vaticano, Radio 3 , Danish Radio and Sky Classica and he is regularly invited to perform and teach in some of the most important music Festival all around the world.
He is regularly invited as principal clarinet by the Danish Radio Orchestr, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre Les Dissonances in Paris.
He has also invited to join the Royal Danish orchestra and the Mozart Orchestra under the baton of Claudio Abbado
In 2016 Giovanni Punzi got graduated in Matters of Arts, Music and theatre at the University of Salerno (Italy).
From 2016 he is Principal Teacher and Artistic Director of the Mediterranean Clarinet Academy in Salerno, the first center of High Professional developpement for clarinet players in the South of Europe.
In 2017 he has been the first not Scandinavian musician ever to be awarded by the Danish Gladsaxe Musice Prize for artistical deserves
Since 2018 Giovanni Punzi is Clarinet Professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenaghen.
