Joaquin Valdepeñas is considered one of the finest clarinetists working today. He makes international appearances as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. He received a Grammy nomination (2007) as a member of the ARC ensemble and won a Juno award (2004) for his recording of the Jacques Hetu clarinet concerto. Mr. Valdepeñas has made over 30 recordings and his most recent, "Right Through the Bone", featuring the music of Julius Roentgen, has received much critical acclaim around the world and a second Grammy nomination. In addition, he has recorded the Mozart clarinet concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra.

He has performed with many distinguished artists such as Kathleen Battle, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Joshua Bell, Vladimir Feltsman, Steven Isserlis, Yo Yo Ma and Pinchas Zuckerman as well as collaborating with some of the world's finest string quartets such as the American, Calder, Emerson, Muir, Orion, Takacs, St. Lawrence, Ying and Zemlinsky. As a founding member of the Amici Chamber Ensemble, he has received 4 Juno nominations and currently the "Amici" are in their 21st anniversary of their concert series at the Glenn Gould Studio.

Commissioning many works by Canadian composers, Mr. Valdepeñas gave the American première of Arias for Clarinet and Orchestra by Michael Colgrass with the Buffalo Philharmonic. His European début, a performance with the BBC Welsh Symphony, was broadcast on BBC Television and conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. He has also made appearances with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

In addition to his duties as principal clarinet of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and former conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, he has conducted the TSO on many occasions.

He has participated in music festivals including the Banff, Casals, Evian, Mostly Mozart in New York as well as in Nagano Japan, Marlboro, Brazil, and most recently the Great Mountain Music festival in Korea. Mr. Valdepenas has been a member of the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and school for over 20 years.

“Joaquin is one of the very finest clarinetists in the world today and a musician of profound sensitivity and charisma.” - Peter Oundjian