Julian Bliss

Backstage at The Enharmonic

May 21, 2021 At long last, Julian Bliss, internationally renowned clarinet phenom, and I get to chat! It's been two years in the making, but through the beauty of video conferencing we were able to conduct the interview. The interview starts well, at the beginning, discussing when and why Julian fell in love with the clarinet. From there we hit a lot of topics, including, performing for the queen at just 12 years old, transitioning to a professional adult musician, his love of danger, on and off stage, the forming of his jazz septet, lots of talk about a mutual hero, Benny Goodman, some exciting news about a brand new EP which he recorded with percussionist Joby Burgess, being released in June, and even talk about skydiving with his clarinet, while dressed as a bumblebee, performing Flight of The Bumblebee!?

Julian Bliss is one of the world’s finest clarinetists, excelling as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, jazz artist, masterclass leader and tireless musical explorer. He has inspired a generation of young players as creator of his Conn-Selmer range of affordable clarinets, and introduced a substantial new audience to his instrument.