Clarinet soloist Sabine Meyer, 65, announced she will retire from the stage in 2025 following a career spanning more than four decades.
Meyer was a member of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic before embarking on a solo career, performing worldwide and recording most of the major solo clarinet repertoire. She also frequently performed chamber music as a member of Trio di Clarone and with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.
Meyer first shot to fame in 1982 while at the Berlin Philharmonic: following the standard probation period for new players, the orchestra’s musicians voted 73 to 4 to deny her tenure. Principal Conductor Herbert von Karajan claimed the decision was based on gender bias — the orchestra was all men at the time — and Meyer departed nine months later to build her much-acclaimed career as a soloist.
