About
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.
Performs On
Corrado Signature Bb Mouthpiece
