ClarinetFest 2026 Is in Korea. Here's Everything You Need to Know.

ClarinetFest is the largest gathering of clarinet players in the world. Every year, thousands of players from across the globe converge in one place to hear extraordinary performances, try gear, take masterclasses, and spend five days fully immersed in the instrument they love.

This year, it's in South Korea.

ClarinetFest 2026 runs July 7-11 at the Songdo Convencia in Incheon, South Korea. It is the first ICA conference in Asia since Osaka in 2005. It features an opening gala at one of the most beautiful concert halls in the country. And it includes something new that is specifically designed for adult enthusiasts and returning players.

I sat down on the Clarinet Ninja Podcast with ICA President Cathy Wood, ICA Executive Director Jessica Harrie, and Enthusiast Committee co-chair Josh Goo to break it all down. Here's what you need to know.

What Is ClarinetFest?

ClarinetFest is the annual convention of the International Clarinet Association. It runs for five days and includes solo recitals, large ensemble concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and a vendor exhibition floor where you can try virtually every clarinet product on the market. Events are happening from early morning until late at night. You will not be bored.

It draws professional players, college students, educators, hobbyists, and adult enthusiasts from around the world. It is, by any measure, the central event of the clarinet year.

Why Is It in Korea Two Years After Ireland?

The ICA used to follow a pattern of two domestic conventions followed by one international one. The pandemic disrupted that sequence, and the organization has been leaning more international as its membership grows globally. Going to Korea is a deliberate decision to connect with a part of the world where clarinet playing and pedagogy are thriving, and where the ICA has rarely been.

The last ICA conference in Asia was in Japan in 2005. That's two decades. There is an enormous community of players, teachers, and ensembles in Asia who have had limited access to this event. This year changes that.

The Prelude to ClarinetFest Enthusiast Workshop

This is the part I want adult enthusiasts and returning players to pay closest attention to.

ClarinetFest is wonderful, but it can be overwhelming. The schedule is dense. Events run in parallel. The skill level on display from professional players and advanced conservatory students can feel intimidating if you are coming back to the instrument after a long break or if you have never played at that level.

The Prelude to ClarinetFest Enthusiast Workshop was created to solve that problem.

It is a one-and-a-half-day event that happens on July 6th and 7th, before the main festival begins. It is designed specifically for non-professional players. The workshops are led by Josh Goo, Lynn Snyder, Christine McDonald, and Mickey Ryan, all of whom are accomplished teachers and players. The day includes:

• A welcome brunch and icebreaker activities, so attendees meet each other before the crowd gets overwhelming
• Workshops focused on rhythm, confidence, and sound quality
• Ensemble playing and enthusiast choir rehearsal
• A masterclass pitched at the enthusiast level, not the conservatory level
• A guided walkthrough of the ClarinetFest mobile app so you go into the festival with a plan

The day ends in time for the entire group to go together to the opening gala concert at the Art Center Incheon.

One of the most important things the Prelude does is build community before you need it. If you went to school for clarinet, you probably already have a built-in network of colleagues and teachers at ClarinetFest. If you didn't, you don't have that yet. The Prelude gives you a group of people to walk into the rest of the week with.

To register, go to clarinet.org and navigate to Events > ClarinetFest > Prelude to ClarinetFest Enthusiast Workshop. All the details are on that page, including schedule, cost, and hotel information. You can also email Jessica Harrie directly if you need help with the process.

Traveling to Incheon: What You Need to Know

If the idea of traveling to South Korea feels intimidating, here is the reality on the ground, straight from Jessica Harrie, who now lives there.

Getting from the airport to the venue is easy. The Songdo Convencia is 25 minutes from Incheon International Airport. You can take a direct bus, the subway, or a cab. The cab will run you approximately 40,000 Korean won, which is around $28. If you have a lot of gear, that is a very reasonable option.

The language barrier is smaller than you expect. Signage throughout Incheon is in both Korean and English. Subway announcements are made in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English. Ticket machines at transit stations are available in multiple languages. There is concierge assistance at the airport.

Your phone handles the rest. You can pick up an eSIM or a travel Wi-Fi device at the airport. Translation apps work extremely well, and locals are comfortable using them in conversation.

The neighborhood is beautiful. Songdo is a brand new international city. Right outside the convention center, there is a Central Park with a lake and rental boats. The Hyundai department store and Triple Street, a whole street of restaurants, are nearby. Hotels in the area range from the Oakwood Hotel and Sheraton Grand (both 5-star properties) to more affordably priced options within the same block.

The Performers

The full artist roster is available on the ICA website, but here are some highlights from the conversation.

Opening Gala, July 7 at Art Center Incheon: Jerry Che, professor at Seoul National University, performs alongside two young Korean clarinetists who won the ICA high school competition. They will play a duo concerto. By all accounts, these are not players who sound like high schoolers.

Jazz and Global Night: Kokoya, the Japanese trio known for Brazilian-style choro music, headlines alongside Oriel Madez and the Tal Quartet and Eiji Tanaguchi. Jessica Harrie has been a fan of Kokoya for years and will finally see them live.

Ensemble Night: A full night dedicated to clarinet ensemble headliners. The Seoul Clarinet Ensemble opens the festival with a Wednesday recital. The Magic Clarinet Quartet performs, and their precision is something that has to be heard. The Bass Clarinet Choir of Canada also appears on one of the headlining concerts.

There is also a mobile app for the conference that lets you build your own daily schedule, set reminders for events you don't want to miss, and connect with other attendees. If you are coming to the Prelude event, part of what we do is help you figure out how to use it before the main festival starts.

Favorite ClarinetFest Memories (From People Who Know)

We asked Cathy, Jessica, and Josh each to share their most memorable ClarinetFest moment. Here's what they said.

Cathy Wood: Her teacher drove her 33 hours from Winnipeg to Oklahoma for her first ClarinetFest. She heard Julian Bliss make his American debut at age 11. She heard Joseph Balog play Hungarian folk music faster than she could process. She has been going ever since.

Jessica Harrie: Her first was Atlanta 2006. But the moment she keeps coming back to is the closing night of Belgium 2018, standing on a beach with fireworks overhead while a clarinet choir played. That was the moment she understood what the conference is really for.

Josh Goo: His first was Denver 2023. He walked past Julian Bliss in a hallway and had to stop and ask himself if that had actually just happened. He also heard Virginia McDonald play on jazz night and has been trying to figure out her pitch-bending technique ever since.

Should You Go?

If you love the clarinet and you have never been to ClarinetFest, the honest answer is yes.

It is not just about the performances, though the performances are extraordinary. It is about being in a room with people who understand exactly why you love this instrument. It is about making friends who stay in your life long after the week is over. It is about hearing something in a masterclass or a concert that changes the way you think about playing, and then working on it for years.

The Prelude event makes all of that more accessible than it has ever been for enthusiasts and returning players. And Korea, as a destination, is more approachable than most people assume.

Registration is open now. Go to clarinet.org, click Events, then ClarinetFest, and find the Prelude to ClarinetFest Enthusiast Workshop in the navigation menu.

If you have questions, email Jessica Harrie through the ICA website. She is responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in making sure this event works for the enthusiast community.

ClarinetFest 2026. July 7-11. Incheon, South Korea.

See you there.

Jay Hassler is the host of the Clarinet Ninja Podcast and founder of the Clarinet Ninja Dojo, an online membership community for adult clarinetists. He is also co-chair of the ICA Clarinet Enthusiasts Committee.