CLAUDIA ALIAJ

The young clarinettist Claudia Aliaj has already appeared as a soloist in major venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Palau de la Música Catalana, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, the Wiener Saal of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Palais Ehrbar Saal in Vienna, Madrid’s Teatro Monumental, the Mozarthaus in Vienna and the Miguel Delibes Auditorium in Valladolid.

In 2023 she was awarded First Prize and the Catalunya Música Prize at Barcelona’s Primer Palau Competition, becoming the youngest participant in the history of the competition. As a soloist, she has performed with leading ensembles such as the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, the Castile and León Symphony Orchestra (OSCyL), the Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock (Germany), the Wienerstadt Orchestra and Orquesta Vigo 430, under the baton of conductors including Marcus Bosch, Julio García Vico, Evgeniy Chevkenov, Vicente Alberola and Luis Miguel Méndez.

She began her clarinet studies with Carmen Domínguez in her hometown of Salamanca. At the age of nine she moved to Madrid, where she studied clarinet with Vicente Alberola and piano with Javier Negrín. At 15 she was admitted to the Mozarteum University Salzburg, studying clarinet in the class of the renowned clarinettist Wenzel Fuchs, principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic. At the same time, she enrolled in piano studies at the same university with Professor Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch. Since the 2023–24 academic year, she has continued her musical education with the celebrated clarinettist Sharon Kam at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover.

She has received numerous awards at international competitions, including First Prize and the Prize of Honour at the France Music Competition 2022 and 2020; First Prize at the Vienna New Year’s Concert International Competition 2022; the Grand Prix at the Vienna International Music Competition 2023; First Prize at Rising Stars Berlin 2022; Second Prize at the Jugend Wurlitzer Clarinet Competition 2020; the Gold Medal with High Distinction at the 5th Manhattan Competition 2020; the Grand Prix at the 5th International Young Competition of Classical Solo Performing “Nota Bene” (St Petersburg); First Prize at the III International Music Competition (Music Prospect, Moscow); and First Prize together with the Special Prize for her outstanding young talent at the International Salzburg Music Competition.