Winner of the Summer 2021 King’s Peak International Music Competition, The MAP International Competition 2021, UNLV CFA Seed Grant 2020, Nevada Arts Council Jackpot grant 2019, Ivan Ivanov has been hailed for his "rich sound, flashy technique and color palette" by the Clarinet Journal. Bulgarian born clarinetist Ivan Ivanov studied at the Sofia State Academy of Music "Pancho Vladigerov" and finished his Bachelor's degree with distinctions. In 2004 Mr. Ivanov became a permanent member of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and worked with such conductors as Sir. Neville Marriner, Jean Bernard Pommier, Rossen Milanov, Shungo Moriyama, Heinz Hellberg and others. In addition to his full-time employment at the National Orchestra he collaborated with Radio Sofia, New Symphony Orchestra, Classic FM Radio, National Opera etc. As an orchestral player he has toured France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Japan etc.
Dr. Ivanov earned his Master's degree of Clarinet Performance at Carnegie Mellon University from the studio of Michael Rusinek, Principal Clarinet of Pittsburgh Symphony and his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from the studio of Dr. Marina Sturm. He also studied with Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. At the Carnegie Mellon University Ivanov collaborated with the famous surrealist composer Leonardo Balada and recorded his music for clarinet in a CD called Leonardo Balada Works for Clarinet. That collaboration inspired Ivanov to research Surrealism in depth and write his book Leonardo Balada and Surrealism in Music, addressing the relationship between Balada and prominent artist Salvador Dali. Dr. Ivanov has numerous recordings also for the Bulgarian National Radio archive and Bulgarian Television, many of which have been broadcast. Ivanov is substitute player with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and San Diego Symphony. Currently, Ivan serves as a Band Director at the Legacy Traditional School, as well as part time music faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and College of Southern Nevada. Previously, he taught at The Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts, where he managed class of fifty clarinet students.
Ivanov also appeared as a jury member at Utah Tech University Woodwind Competition 2023, the Dan Stover Music Competition 2020 and 2022, UNLV Research Forum, and UNLV Rebel Grad Slam.
As a Buffet Crampon Artist, Dr. Ivanov performs exclusively on Buffet Crampon Tosca and R13 clarinets.
Clarinet Teachers: Michael Rusinek, Ricardo Morales, Marina Sturm, Dimitar Dimitrov, Kimberly Cole Luevano, Boris Allakhverdyan.