Anton Jakimenko

Anton Jakimenko (b. 1990, Tashkent, Uzbekistan) grew up surrounded by music of all kinds. Encouraged by his parents, he decided at an early age to devote his life to music. Guided by his mother, a violinist, he began studying classical piano and soon performed in public.

Thanks to his parents’ strong musical background, Anton progressed rapidly. At the age of ten, he and his family left Uzbekistan and settled in the Netherlands. There he switched to the clarinet, studying with his father, himself a clarinettist. In 2003 he was admitted to the Young Talent Class at the Prince Claus Conservatory in Groningen, where he studied with clarinettist Reinier Hogerheijde.

In 2004 Anton won first prize at the Princess Christina Competition and subsequently appeared as a soloist with the North Netherlands Orchestra. He continued his classical training with Pierre Lafay and Lars Wouters van den Oudenweijer, and took masterclasses with internationally renowned clarinettists including Martin Fröst, Karl Leister and Charles Neidich.

Eventually drawn to improvisation, Anton turned to jazz. In 2016 he was accepted into the Master’s programme in jazz clarinet at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Joris Roelofs, Simon Rigter and David Kweksilber. During this period he attended masterclasses with Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, Yuri Honing, John Clayton and John Riley.

Anton has collaborated with Swedish double bassist and composer Lars Danielsson as well as American jazz pianist Aaron Parks. He has recorded and released the album Blue in Green with his ensemble Chamber Jazz Consort on the Zennez Records label. The album has received excellent reviews and highlights his versatility as a musician.

Currently, Anton is active as a multi-instrumentalist and performs with, among others, Asko|Schönberg, Marmoucha Orchestra, and The Brainteaser Orchestra.