Biography
Born in Nice to parents of Spanish and Sicilian lineage, Patrick Messina stands among the foremost orchestral clarinetists of his generation, having forged a prominent path across European and American ensembles after completing part of his training in the United States. Recognized early as a protégé of violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who dubbed him “the Magic Clarinetist,” he has also earned distinction as a teacher both in France and internationally. His initial lessons came from his father, followed by studies with Guy Deplus and Michel Arrignon; at the Conservatoire de Paris he captured first prizes in clarinet and chamber music alike. Relocating to America, he worked with Franklin Cohen at the Cleveland Institute of Music and with Ricardo Morales at New York’s Mannes College of Music.
A decisive step arrived in 1992 with his selection as a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. Additional American honors followed at the East and West International Auditions in New York and the Ima Hogg National Competition in Houston. In 1996 he secured a position in the clarinet section of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, remaining until 2003, when he returned to France as principal clarinet of the Orchestre National de France under Kurt Masur. Guest principal engagements have included the Chicago Symphony and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra.
As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de Cannes, the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, and Tokyo’s Kioi Sinfonietta. Chamber collaborations have linked him with Daniel Hope, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Simone Dinnerstein, Gautier Capuçon, Katia and Marielle Labèque, and the majority of France’s leading string quartets. Teaching posts have encompassed London’s Royal Academy of Music; since the late 2010s he has served on the faculty of Paris’s Ecole Normale Cortot.
Radio France issued his recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, while Naxos released his performances of Bechara El-Khoury’s clarinet concertos. In 2018 the Aparte label brought out his accounts of clarinet chamber music by Jaan Rääts, Henryk Górecki, and Arvo Pärt.
A decisive step arrived in 1992 with his selection as a laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. Additional American honors followed at the East and West International Auditions in New York and the Ima Hogg National Competition in Houston. In 1996 he secured a position in the clarinet section of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, remaining until 2003, when he returned to France as principal clarinet of the Orchestre National de France under Kurt Masur. Guest principal engagements have included the Chicago Symphony and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra.
As a concerto soloist he has appeared with the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de Cannes, the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, and Tokyo’s Kioi Sinfonietta. Chamber collaborations have linked him with Daniel Hope, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Simone Dinnerstein, Gautier Capuçon, Katia and Marielle Labèque, and the majority of France’s leading string quartets. Teaching posts have encompassed London’s Royal Academy of Music; since the late 2010s he has served on the faculty of Paris’s Ecole Normale Cortot.
Radio France issued his recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, while Naxos released his performances of Bechara El-Khoury’s clarinet concertos. In 2018 the Aparte label brought out his accounts of clarinet chamber music by Jaan Rääts, Henryk Górecki, and Arvo Pärt.
Live
