Alex Buckley

Alex Buckley is a master’s student at the Royal Academy of Music where he studies with Chris Richards, Mark van de Wiel, and Chi-Yu Mo having graduated from the University of Oxford in Economics and Management last summer. He was previously principal clarinet of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and reached the Woodwind Final of BBC Young Musician 2022.

Alongside his studies, Alex is performing regularly with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as Student Fellow for the 2025/26 season and recently joined the orchestra for a tour to Cyprus with Maxim Vengerov and Marios Papadopoulos. Whilst at Oxford, Alex studied clarinet independently with Andrew Marriner and Chris Richards and performed regularly as principal clarinet with the Oxford University Orchestra and Sinfonietta as well as with the Odyssey Festival Orchestra in London. Before this, Alex was principal clarinet of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain with whom he performed on such occasions as the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and in many of the UK’s major venues as well as being noted by The Times for “striking work”.

As a soloist, Alex has recently performed Ruth Gipps’ Clarinet Concerto and Alice Mary Smith’s Andante for Clarinet and Orchestra with the Chichester Symphony Orchestra as well as Bruch’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola alongside Isobel Neary-Adams with the Oxford Chamber Orchestra. His recital highlights include a performance in Oxford’s historic Sheldonian Theatre, supporting Dame Emma Kirkby at St James’s Piccadilly, and appearing on national television in BBC Young Musician 2022.