Evgeni Orkin

Evgeni Orkin has written eleven chamber symphonies, seven large symphonies, solo concertos for violin, piano, saxophone and clarinet, the oratorio Anne‘s Passion based on texts from the diaries of Anne Frank, the opera Magister Ludi, several music-theatrical works and a large number of chamber music works. Before The Keys of Toledo he has created the full-length klezmer singspiel Mendele Lohengrin (2025), as well as a festive overture for the JCOM.
Born in 1977 in Lviv (Ukraine), Evgeni Orkin initially studied clarinet and composition with Yevhen Stankovych at the National Academy of Music in Kyiv. Further studies followed at the music academies in Utrecht and Mannheim in clarinet, conducting and composition with Ulrich Leyendecker and Ernst Bechert.
Evgeni Orkin has worked closely with many renowned artists, including Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Sol Gabetta, Oksana Lyniv, Andrii Murza, Alexey Semenenko, Alexander Gordon, Giora Feidman, Hobart Earl and Sebastian Lastein. As a clarinettist, he has made a name for himself particularly through premieres of new works, including pieces dedicated to him by Silverstrov, Stankowytsch, Andrikopoulos, Corté-Real, Bechert and Hermann.
His works are regularly performed at international festivals, including the Kontraste Festival in Lviv, the Kyiv Music Festival, the New Music Festival in Odesa, the Heidelberger Frühling and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Wiener Musikwochen, Kunstfest Weimar, Young Euro Classics, Lucerne Music Festival.
Evgeni Orkin has received several awards, including the European Composition Prize 2023. His works are enjoying increasing popularity among musicians and audiences. His works have been published by Universal Edition since 2025.