Dimitri Ashkenazy

Born in 1969 in New York, Dimitri Ashkenazy began playing the piano at the age of six and then switched to the clarinet under the tuition of Giambattista Sisini, with whom he continued studying when he entered the Conservatory of Lucerne in 1989.
In addition to the major concertos for the clarinet, his repertoire extends to include contemporary works such as Peter Maxwell Davies' Strathclyde Concerto No.4, which he has performed with the composer himself conducting in Spain, Germany, Hungary and the U.K., and Krzysztof Penderecki's own transcription of his Viola Concerto with the composer himself conducting both in Poland and on tour in Spain. He also gave the world premiere performances of concertos by Marco Tutino (with the Filarmonici della Scala, Milan) and Filippo del Corno (with the orchestra «I Pomeriggi Musicali»), and of Peter Maxwell Davies' Clarinet Quintet «Hymn to Artemis Locheia» (with the Brodsky Quartet at the Lucerne Festival).
He is an active chamber musician, performing with major string quartets and at major festivals, and recently has established himself as co-principal clarinet with the chamber orchestra “Festival Strings Lucerne”. 
In addition to his concert activity, Dimitri Ashkenazy has made numerous CD, radio, and television recordings, and been invited to give master classes across Europe, the U.S., Asia, and Australia and New Zealand.