David Medina

David Medina is Principal Clarinet of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile, Professor of Clarinet at the Instituto de Música of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Director of the Santiago International Clarinet Festival.

Trained within Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras, he studied with distinguished teachers including José Caldera, Jorge Montilla, Edgar Pronio, Valdemar Rodríguez, and Luis Rossi. He was a founding member and Principal Clarinet of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional Infantil de Venezuela, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Juventudes de los Países Andinos, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de las Américas.

For 17 years, Medina served as Principal Clarinet of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar de Venezuela under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, touring extensively worldwide and performing in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. During this period, he collaborated with internationally renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Lorin Maazel, Esa‑Pekka Salonen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Daniel Barenboim, and participated in recordings for the Deutsche Grammophon label.

He has been awarded First Prize at the Aaron Copland Competition and the Carl Nielsen Competition of the Venezuelan Young Clarinetists Festival and was a semifinalist at the Ghent International Clarinet Competition (Belgium).

Medina earned his Bachelor of Music degree and later a Master of Music degree at the Universidad Simón Bolívar, where he also conducted research on the history and pedagogy of the clarinet in Venezuela, receiving distinctions for publication and outstanding academic merit.

As an educator, he has given classes and masterclasses at institutions and festivals throughout Latin America and Europe, actively contributing to the training of new generations of clarinetists.

David Medina is an artist for Buffet Crampon and Vandoren. He plays Tosca model clarinets.