Anastasia Schmidlin: The Quest for Infinity

Between rigor and freedom: A portrait of clarinetist Anastasia Schmidlin—an artist who straddles worlds and transforms resistance into art. By Monika Csampai

To hear Anastasia Schmidlin speak German today is to encounter a language defined by precision and a keen sense of nuance. Her interpretations of her instrument’s diverse repertoire are equally sensitive and musically utterly compelling.

Anastasia Schmidlin is a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and self-taught sound engineer all rolled into one. She is a modern pioneer driven by a clear credo: « Today, you can learn anything; anything is possible. »

Music as a Mother Tongue

Anastasia Schmidlin grew up in St. Petersburg, a metropolis characterized by an inherent cultural fervor but also by the relentless Russian tradition of musical training. Her musical foundation was, in a sense, laid in the cradle: her mother was a musicologist specializing in Stravinsky, and her father was a Shostakovich specialist.

At the age of just six, she was admitted to the legendary preparatory program at the St. Petersburg Conservatory’s Special Music School—a training ground for elite young musicians. « We had several hours of music lessons every day; it wasn’t anything unusual for us—we knew nothing else, » she recalls matter-of-factly regarding that early, rigorous training. Yet for Schmidlin, this discipline was never imposed from the outside; it stemmed from a deep, intrinsic motivation.

The real turning point came at age thirteen: the switch from violin to clarinet. In a male-dominated environment, this act was tantamount to a provocation. “I was told that women didn’t have enough strength to play the clarinet. My 28-year-old teacher was also met with derision; people couldn’t understand why he was wasting his time trying to teach a girl to play the instrument.”

Yet her teacher, Grigory Maliev, believed in her. Defying all odds, she completed her training with top marks after just five and a half years, performing Carl Nielsen’s breakneck clarinet concerto.

The Turning Point: A Longing for Freedom

Despite her success, Schmidlin felt increasingly out of place within the rigid, often hierarchical Russian system. Her desire for clarity and fairness clashed with the established structures. Her salvation came in the form of success in a competition organized by the Swiss “Petersburg” foundation. At sixteen, she was able to tour Switzerland for the first time—a pivotal experience that sparked a new ambition.

The contrast between the chilly atmosphere of St. Petersburg and the bright, topographically majestic landscape of Switzerland had a profound impact on her. “I will never experience anything this beautiful again,” she told her father when he picked her up at the airport. A deep longing had been awakened. At eighteen, she passed the entrance exam for the Lucerne School of Music, studying under Heinrich Mätzener. There followed challenging years of linguistic and cultural adjustment—during which Mätzener became not just a teacher but a crucial mentor—followed by further studies with Paolo Beltramini and Robert Pickup.

The Turning Point: Injury and Recovery

Yet the path to success is rarely a straight line. In 2015, when Anastasia Schmidlin was just twenty-one, she was struck by a car while cycling home from an orchestra rehearsal. The diagnosis: a broken hand, ligament injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It was a nightmare for any instrumentalist. For years, continuing her career seemed all but impossible.

It was only through intensive psychotherapy that she was able to gradually find her way back. Today, the 32-year-old looks back on that dark period with a wisdom remarkable for her age. The accident became the catalyst for a deeper, more conscious approach to her art. She learned to embrace her fate and returned to the stage with a completely new artistic voice.

The self-reliant artist: 100% independent control

This newfound resilience translated into unprecedented productivity during the pandemic years starting in 2020. Since then, Schmidlin has recorded three albums: “Miniatures”, “XX UK”, and “Poetic Fire”, set for release in June.

Reflecting on the wonderful selection of pieces on “Miniatures”, she remarked: « Entire stories can unfold in just a few minutes. Perhaps that is precisely why this album feels so relevant today. Our world is moving ever faster, and many people now consume content only in short formats. »

What makes her productions unique is her refusal to relinquish control over the sound; Schmidlin acts as her own sound engineer. For an album production, she records for hours on end, fully immersed in the creative flow. This is followed by many more hours of meticulous computer work, during which she edits the self-recorded material herself.

« The result is 100% mine—absolutely authentic, » she says confidently. « Only I know the precise expression. I stand behind every single note. » In a rapidly changing musical landscape, she views technological upheaval as an opportunity. Today, Schmidlin notes, one can « conquer the world from one’s own room. »

The press consistently praises her « fascinating tonal quality across all registers, astounding technique, and immense expressive power, » as well as her captivating « star presence » (Luzerner Zeitung).

Teaching without pressure

Despite her international ambitions, Anastasia Schmidlin remains grounded as an educator. She prefers teaching children and young people aged 7 to 24. She loves the individualized nature of the lessons, including the « applied psychology » they require. The mental and physical well-being of her students is her top priority. In a world where children are often overburdened with hobbies and obligations, she wants learning the clarinet to be a stress-free experience.

For her, practicing and mastering new works is a source of pure happiness. It is also an attempt to forge a personal—almost spiritual—connection with the composer.

Ultimately, for Anastasia Schmidlin, making music and preserving her interpretations is about something greater than mere fidelity to the score: it is about sharing her love for the music and her existential quest for that fleeting « closeness to infinity. »

pizzicato, 16.06.2026, Monika Csampai