Clarinettist, conductor and Sony Classical recording artist, Martin Fröst is known for pushing musical boundaries and has been described by the New York Times as having "a virtuosity and a musicianship unsurpassed by any clarinetist — perhaps any instrumentalist — in my memory". Widely recognised as an artist who constantly seeks new ways to challenge and reshape the classical music arena, his repertoire encompasses mainstream clarinet works, as well as a number of contemporary pieces that he has personally championed. Winner of the 2014 Léonie Sonning Music Prize, one of the world’s highest musical honours, he was the first clarinetist to be given the award and joined a prestigious list of previous recipients including Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein and Sir Simon Rattle. International Classical Music Awards voted him their 2022 Artist of the Year Award for his innovative global career, his impressive discography, and his philanthropy.
As a soloist, Martin Fröst has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and Frankfurt Radio Symphony. He regularly collaborates with prominent international artists, including Yuja Wang, Janine Jansen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Roland Pöntinen and Antoine Tamestit, and performs in international events such as the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, the BBC Proms in London and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. He has appeared in some of the world’s most important concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Berlin Philharmonie and he has toured in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. He was Artist in Residence with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for the 2022/23 season, the first ever wind player to be given that honour.
In the 2025/26 season, Martin Fröst continues to focus on his role as Chief Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, with a particular emphasis on Brahms’s symphonies, conducting all of them throughout the season. The season features collaborations with guest artists including Torleif Thedéen, Veronika Eberle, Vilde Frang and Midori, and includes a six-date European tour with the project "Beethoven DNA". He also holds the position of Artist in Residence with the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, performing as a soloist three orchestral programmes with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the batons of Alan Gilbert, Paavo Järvi and Sakari Oramo, as well as one programme with the Israel Philharmonic conducted by Lahav Shani, and two chamber music concerts. As a soloist, he presents a wide-ranging repertoire of clarinet concertos by Hillborg, Clyne, Jarrell, Beamish, Copland, Shaw, Nielsen, Mozart and Weber with orchestras such as Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Oslo Philharmonic, Dresdner Philharmonie, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He returns to Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra with a play-conduct programme, following the success of this unique dual role across European orchestras in previous seasons. Additionally, he gives recitals at Boulez Saal Berlin with Roland Pöntinen, Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Martigny, and La Musikfest Parisienne.
Martin Fröst exclusively records for Sony Classical and his discography spans a wide range of repertoire. His most recent releases include "Mozart: Ecstasy and Abyss" with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, part of a multi-year project exploring Mozart’s late works, as well as albums dedicated to Vivaldi and Messiaen. His latest release, "B.A.C.H." (Beyond All Clarinet History) from October 2025 intertwines Bach’s timeless melodies with new arrangements.
A keen advocate of the importance of music education, in 2019 he launched the Martin Fröst Foundation with the support of the world’s largest manufacturer of wind instruments, Buffet Crampon. The purpose of the organisation is to provide resources that can improve and enable children’s and young people’s access to music education and instruments. The Foundation aims to join forces with non-profit organisations and various sponsors across the world, having already established a presence in Kenya and Madagascar.