Kilian Herold Principal clarinet
Information
Facts
Born in Emmendingen, Germany
Member since 18.08.2026
Biography
Kilian Herold has extensive experience as a principal clarinet. His orchestral career began in 2004 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and continued with the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg from 2011 to 2016. He also performed as a guest with ensembles such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. A regular guest with the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2013, he took up the post of principal clarinet in the 2026/27 season. For Herold, what distinguishes the Berliner Philharmoniker is their “unconditional dedication to making music together,” he says. “You can feel that no one is simply playing their own part. Everyone listens, everyone responds, everyone takes responsibility for the whole. On top of that, there is the exceptional standard of every member.”
Born in Baden-Württemberg, he came to the clarinet almost by accident – the local music society always needed clarinettists. “Over time, it became something very personal. I realized that I could express myself on this instrument in a way that felt very natural to me – artistically, but also emotionally.” Above all, he loves the instrument’s versatility: “The clarinet can take on very different timbres and characters – intimate and personal one moment, powerful and commanding the next.” He credits his teachers with fostering that enthusiasm: François Benda in Berlin, John Yeh and Larry Combs in Chicago, and Johannes Peitz in Hanover.
Herold also performs as a chamber musician and soloist. From 2016 until joining the Berliner Philharmoniker, he was professor of clarinet at the University of Music Freiburg, succeeding Jörg Widmann. He continues to teach there and also gives masterclasses. He is the artistic director of the international clarinet festival “Clarimondo”.
“As a principal clarinettist in the orchestra, I am constantly in dialogue with the others – with my colleagues as well as with the conductor. It’s not just about playing a beautiful solo, but also about connecting musically with the others and blending our sound as part of a shared interpretation. A phrase never exists in isolation; it only gains its meaning through what happens before and after. That’s why listening is at least as important to me as playing.”
