A voice from beneath the orchestra, where its colour begins
Italian bass clarinettist, working across the great stages of Europe and drawn to the instrument that shapes the orchestra from below.
Martino Moruzzi is an Italian bass clarinettist and clarinettist, born in 1996. The bass clarinet is at the centre of his work, the instrument that works beneath the orchestra, shaping its colour and depth from below.
He trained at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, completing his Master's degree, and went on to specialise in bass clarinet at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under Davide Lattuada. Stockholm then became his base for four seasons, on a four-year contract with the Kungliga Hovkapellet from 2022 to 2026.
His formation was shaped as much by chamber music and young ensembles as by the conservatoire. He played with the European Union Youth Orchestra, joined the collective experience of Spira Mirabilis, took part in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe Academy, and performed with the Impossible Orchestra at the Festival PAAX GNP. Those were years of listening closely and playing without a conductor, and they still shape how he approaches the orchestra today.
During the same years he was on trial for Principal Bass Clarinet with the London Symphony Orchestra (2022–2024), and from there invitations to perform across Europe followed. As guest principal bass clarinet, Martino has worked with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Since 2025 he has been on trial for Principal Bass Clarinet with The Hallé in Manchester.
From the 2026/27 season, Martino is based in Amsterdam, joining the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, returning to the city where he first specialised in the instrument.
Alongside his orchestral work, he is Artistic Director of Agon Ensemble, bringing together young musicians from across Europe.
Opera productions with Dutch National Opera & Ballet run over several performances. All dates as of the current season plan.
Agon Ensemble began with a simple wish. After years spent playing in orchestras across Europe, Martino Moruzzi wanted to build a group that would perform not only in theatres and festivals, but also for the people who rarely get the chance to hear live music at all.
That idea still defines the ensemble. Agon brings together talented young musicians from across Europe around a shared project. Alongside concerts in prestigious halls, the group is committed to carrying music into places never built for listening to music: schools, hospitals, care homes, community centres and prisons.
Rooted in Cremona but looking outward, Agon works in synergy with schools, young musicians and local institutions, exploring both classical and contemporary repertoire, and celebrating what a shared Europe can sound like. Each player is an ambassador of their own country, and many have performed with ensembles such as the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, both founded by Claudio Abbado.
The name comes from further back. Martino's father, Mauro Moruzzi, was a clarinettist who wanted to give something lasting to Cremona: he founded the Associazione musicale Agon to support local musicians and bring music across the province. He died in 1999, that work still unfinished. The ensemble carries the name forward, and with it the same intention.
In ancient Greek, agon means a contest, an encounter, a meeting of forces. Here it stands for amplifying artistic expression by bringing different cultures and traditions together.
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