Mr. Espina Ruiz is a phenomenal clarinetist – a subtle and discreet virtuoso whose dynamic control matched that of the string quartet.
– CVNC
Oskar Espina Ruiz Clarinet
Oskar Espina Ruiz has emerged as one of the leading clarinetists of his generation, praised as a concerto soloist at the Casals Festival for his “masterful virtuosity” (El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico), and admired for his “rhapsodic ease” and “generous, tender warmth” (The Millbrook Independent) in chamber music collaborations with the top string quartets and piano trios of our time.
His 2025-2026 season opened with two concerts with the Grammy Award winning Cuarteto Latinoamericano (Clarinet Quintets by Mozart and Gutiérrez Heras), followed by season performances with the Ulysses, Terra and Cassatt String Quartets, a recital with pianist Victoria Schwartzman, as well as chamber music concerts with UNCSA faculty colleagues.
Highlights of the past two seasons include his Casals Festival debut as soloist with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of Alfonso Fuentes’ Clarinet Concerto; a Music Mountain performance of the complete Brahms Clarinet Sonatas with pianist Misha Dichter.
Since 2011, Oskar Espina Ruiz is clarinet artist-faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, in Winston-Salem, NC.
– CVNC
Upcoming Events
October 4 at 4:00 pm
Treetops CMS Concert with the Terra String Quartet, on October 4, 2026 (Brahms Clarinet Quintet) Tickets
October 17 at 7:30 pm
UNCSA Chamber Music Festival performance on October 17 (Poulenc Sextet) Tickets
November 8 at 3:00 pm
UNCSA Faculty Series - Crosscurrents: UNCSA Woodwind Faculty in Recital, with Steven Banks, saxophone; Rachel Messing, oboe; Tadeu Coelho, [Read More]
Studio at UNCSA
I have been teaching at UNCSA since 2011. The UNCSA School of Music is the music conservatory within the 17-campus University of North Carolina system. UNCSA is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in an environment that includes 5 thriving art schools. Students get one-on-one instruction and mentorship, many performance opportunities, access to a comprehensive curriculum of classes, and exposure to extraordinary guest artists. Read About My Collaboration With Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.
