Iván Villar Sanz
Principal Clarinetist, chamber musician
Spain
Légère Signature European Cut reeds have been an incredible revolution in the Clarinet world. The clarinetists have passed to another level of efficiency thanks to them, and now we don't have to worry about the more typical cane reeds problems. I feel really good playing on these reeds because of their easy response of vibration and their wonderful quality of tone in the whole register. They let me perform everywhere thinking only on making music: I'm sure they'll never leave me!
With an elegant and versatile style that has taken him to stages across four continents, Iván
Villar Sanz is recognized as one of the leading Spanish clarinetists of his generation. An international artist for the Canadian brands Backun Musical Services and Légère Reeds, he combines a solid academic background with an active career as a soloist, orchestral musician and educator.
In 2015, he earned his Bachelor degree from the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel
Castillo” in Seville. In 2018, he completed a Master’s degree in Musical Performance at the “Vecchi–
Tonelli” Conservatory in Modena, Italy. In 2025, he finished a Master’s degree in “Online
Communication and Education” from UNED (Spain).
His international career has taken him to concert halls in Italy, the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Ireland, Tunisia, the United States, Canada, the
United Arab Emirates, Japan and China. In 2018, he recorded as a soloist on the album
“Clarinettomania” alongside acclaimed clarinetist Corrado Giuffredi and has contributed to other
recordings with ensembles such as the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI) and the Orchestra
Filarmonica Italiana (OFI). He has also made numerous appearances on Swiss and Italian radio and
television.
As principal clarinet, he has performed with several orchestras, including the UBC Festival
Chamber Orchestra (Canada), the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (Switzerland), the Modena
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Italian Opera Orchestra, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, the Bologna Philharmonic, the “Toscanini” Philharmonic of Parma, the Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato, the Italian Philharmonic, Fiati Italiani, Sinapsi Opera and the Filarmonica delle Terre Verdiane. In 2019, he joined the internal wind ensemble of Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
He has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Gergiev, Ashkenazy,
Axelrod, Gilbert, Yoshida, Poschner, Venezi, Nánási, Russell Davies, Rolli and Ciampa among
others.
In 2019, he was awarded second prize at the “Clarinet Celebration International Competition”
in Portland, Oregon (USA).
Dedicated to clarinet pedagogy, he has given masterclasses and in Spain, Italy and China and
has presented online lectures for Latin American audiences on topics such as clarinet technique and orchestral audition preparation. Since 2025, he has held the position of Professor in the Clarinet Department at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música “Victoria Eugenia” in Granada, Spain.
Iván plays Backun Lumière clarinets, Corrado Signature mouthpieces by Hawkins-Backun
and Légère reeds.
With an elegant and versatile style that has taken him to stages across four continents, Iván
Villar Sanz is recognized as one of the leading Spanish clarinetists of his generation. An international artist for the Canadian brands Backun Musical Services and Légère Reeds, he combines a solid academic background with an active career as a soloist, orchestral musician and educator.
In 2015, he earned his Bachelor degree from the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel
Castillo” in Seville. In 2018, he completed a Master’s degree in Musical Performance at the “Vecchi–
Tonelli” Conservatory in Modena, Italy. In 2025, he finished a Master’s degree in “Online
Communication and Education” from UNED (Spain).
His international career has taken him to concert halls in Italy, the United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Ireland, Tunisia, the United States, Canada, the
United Arab Emirates, Japan and China. In 2018, he recorded as a soloist on the album
“Clarinettomania” alongside acclaimed clarinetist Corrado Giuffredi and has contributed to other
recordings with ensembles such as the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (OSI) and the Orchestra
Filarmonica Italiana (OFI). He has also made numerous appearances on Swiss and Italian radio and
television.
As principal clarinet, he has performed with several orchestras, including the UBC Festival
Chamber Orchestra (Canada), the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana (Switzerland), the Modena
Philharmonic Orchestra, the Italian Opera Orchestra, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, the Bologna Philharmonic, the “Toscanini” Philharmonic of Parma, the Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato, the Italian Philharmonic, Fiati Italiani, Sinapsi Opera and the Filarmonica delle Terre Verdiane. In 2019, he joined the internal wind ensemble of Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
He has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Gergiev, Ashkenazy,
Axelrod, Gilbert, Yoshida, Poschner, Venezi, Nánási, Russell Davies, Rolli and Ciampa among
others.
In 2019, he was awarded second prize at the “Clarinet Celebration International Competition”
in Portland, Oregon (USA).
Dedicated to clarinet pedagogy, he has given masterclasses and in Spain, Italy and China and
has presented online lectures for Latin American audiences on topics such as clarinet technique and orchestral audition preparation. Since 2025, he has held the position of Professor in the Clarinet Department at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música “Victoria Eugenia” in Granada, Spain.
Iván plays Backun Lumière clarinets, Corrado Signature mouthpieces by Hawkins-Backun
and Légère reeds.