Hervé Cligniez started playing music aged six at the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in Aix en Provence. He later studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon under Jacques Lancelot, before completing his training at the Conservatoire de Genève, unanimously earning a first prize diploma in virtuosity under Thomas Friedli. During this period, he won a prize at the Ancona international competition in Italy, obtained his clarinet teacher certification and performed with the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra and the Opéra de Lyon.
He then founded Le Concert Impromptu, a wind quintet exploring rare oeuvres from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, with whom he played for 10 years.
Hervé Cligniez is a multi-disciplinary musician who is always on the lookout for new sounds and open to other forms of artistic expression. He is currently the clarinet soloist with the Carpe Diem ensemble, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain and is one half of the duo Acte II alongside pianist Cyril Goujon. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, he formed the Corno di Bassetto trio.
He has performed with these different formations in Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Canada, China and South Korea. His performances regularly attract critical acclaim, whether he is playing solo with an orchestra or releasing an album of work.
Hervé Cligniez has been teaching clarinet since 1986 at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Saint-Etienne and the Carpe Diem summer academy, and has also hosted various workshops and master classes.