Wenzel Fuchs was appointed Professor of Clarinet at the Mozarteum University in 2015, having previously taught at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin. He also teaches at the Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic and holds a visiting professorship at Geidai University in Tokyo, as well as an honorary professorship at the Shanghai Conservatory. Wenzel Fuchs gives masterclasses worldwide.
Born in Innsbruck, Wenzel Fuchs already played the clarinet in various wind bands during his childhood. Following his early training in Kitzbühel and Innsbruck with Walter Kefer, he went on to the Vienna Academy of Music, where he continued his studies with Peter Schmidl. He passed his diploma examination with unanimous distinction; he also received the appreciation award of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and the Arts and won several prizes at the national youth music competition "Jugend musiziert".
Already during his studies he played as a guest in all the major Viennese orchestras. He began his professional career at the age of just 19 as principal clarinettist in the Orchestra of the Volksoper Wien, before moving to the ORF Symphony Orchestra and subsequently to the Berlin Philharmonic, where he has held the position of principal clarinet since 1993.
In addition to his orchestral work, Wenzel Fuchs is active as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Tokyo Philharmonic, the China National Symphony Orchestra, the Korean Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic. His chamber music partners include Yefim Bronfman, Emmanuel Pahud, András Schiff, Albrecht Mayer, Mitsuko Uchida and David Geringas. Fuchs is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Soloists, the Berlin Philharmonic Octet and the Vienna-Berlin Chamber Ensemble.
He teaches at the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, was a professor at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin from autumn 2008 to summer 2012, and holds a visiting professorship at Geidai University in Tokyo as well as an honorary professorship at the Shanghai Conservatory; he also gives master classes worldwide. He has been a professor at the Mozarteum University Salzburg since 2015.