Clemens Köhler

Clemens Köhler – Saxophonist, Flutist, Composer

Clemens Köhler (born 2002 in Kandel, Germany) is a New York based Jazz musician. He began playing piano at age 6. In 2013, he also started playing saxophone. He was a member of the Landesjugendjazzorchester RLP (Rhineland-Palatinate Youth Jazz Orchestra), the Bundesjazzorchester (German Federal Jazz Orchestra), as well as the Orchestre des Jeunes de l'Orchestre National de Jazz.

After graduating from high school (Abitur), he completed a Bachelor's degree in Jazz/Pop from 2022 to 2026 at the HfMT Köln (Cologne University of Music and Dance) under Claudius Valk and Hubert Nuss, graduating with top honors.

In Cologne, he also founded his trio with Jan Blikslager and Jakob Hein, which received a performance grant from the Dörken Foundation in 2025. With this trio, he recorded an album in 2026, set to be released in late 2026. He was a scholarship recipient of the Zukunftsinitiative RLP (Rhineland-Palatinate Future Initiative) and is currently a DAAD scholarship recipient. Since 2026, he has been studying at the City College of New York.

Clemens Köhler has performed at venues including King Georg Köln, Loft Köln, Stadtgarten Köln, Jazzschmiede Düsseldorf, Domicil Dortmund, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle Bielefeld, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berliner Philharmonie, Birdland Hamburg, and Le Triton Paris.

Gear

Yamaha Custom Z Tenor

Matt Marantz Slant Legacy 7

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