Boyan Ivanov was born in Yambol, Bulgaria, and is one of the most promising Bulgarian clarinettists today. He has already performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician at many prestigious venues including the Barbican Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, St John’s Smith Square, and St James’s Piccadilly among others.
Boyan graduated from the Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts with the highest honours. His professor and mentor there was the renowned Prof. Petko Radev, a long-time principal clarinetist of Milan‘s La Scala. During his studies he toured extensively throughout Europe and South Korea with several Bulgarian orchestras, and won numerous prizes and awards, including third prize in the 2003 International Competition for French Music Performance. He also participated in Masterclasses with eminent clarinetists such as Michael Collins (UK), Andrew Marriner (UK), Robert Spring (USA), Charles Neidich (USA), Reiner Wehle (Germany), Nicolas Balderou (France), and Hervé Cligniez (France).
In 2008/09 he moved to London to undertake further study with the Spanish virtuoso Joan Enric Lluna at Trinity College of Music, where he gained the FTCL Recital Diploma in Clarinet. He performed as Principal Clarinet of the Trinity Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, and was selected to play the clarinet solo part in Bernstein’s famous Prelude, Fugue and Riffs with Trinity Jazz Ensemble at Blackheath Halls. After graduating he moved to Guildhall to study on the Masters course with Julian Farrell and Nicholas Carpenter, graduating in 2010. During this time he performed as Principal Clarinet with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra and was awarded the Making Music Philip & Dorothy Green Award for Young Concert Artists. As part of this, in 2011, he gave numerous recitals for Music Societies across the UK and was invited to perform as a soloist with the Dulwich Symphony and Warwickshire Symphony Orchestras.
A founding member of the Inspirity Ensemble, Islington Camerata and the Trinity Trio, he remains an active solo and chamber player, and since 2012 has been a regular Classical Guest Entertainer aboard Cunard, P&O, Fred Olsen and Saga cruise ships. In 2012 Boyan made his performing debut at Kings Place where he gave the UK premiere of the American composer Deborah Netanel’s piece 'Before'. In November 2012 he participated in a concert with the world renowned Chilingirian Quartet at the same venue, and he also performed at the Wigmore Hall as part of the Chamber Tots Programme. In 2013 Boyan gave a performance of Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 with King’s College London Chamber Orchestra, for which he is also the Orchestral manager. The Argentinean composer and conductor Fabricio Brachetta also invited him to perform the premiere of his new Clarinet Concerto alongside the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with London Arte Chamber Orchestra in aid of the Stroke Association. In 2014, as a member of Orion Symphony Orchestra, Boyan participated in the 'Celebrating Jon Lord' Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, together with the rock legends Deep Purple, and a few months later took part in the 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' UK Tour with Rick Wakeman. In 2015 he appeared as a soloist with the Aldwych Sinfonia, playing Copland’s Clarinet Concerto unconducted, and was recently soloist of the brand new London based Vox Vanguard Symphony Orchestra, playing Mozart’s masterpiece Clarinet Concerto in A major.
As an orchestral musician Boyan plays regularly with a variety of orchestras, including Hastings Philharmonic (for which he is also Orchestra Manager), Orion Orchestra, Firebird Orchestra, Orpheus Sinfonia, London Arts Orchestra, King’s Chamber Orchestra, Aldwych Sinfonia, and Guernsey Sinfonietta among others, and he is part of the Ensemble OrQuesta, Co-Opera Company and OperaUpClose Orchestras.