Wenzel Fuchs comes from a region where traditional wind music is highly valued. The Innsbruck native, scion of a musical family, was already playing the clarinet as a child in various wind ensembles. After first studying in Kitzbühel and Innsbruck with professor Walter Kefer, he continued his education with professor Peter Schmidl at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts and achieved the degree with high honours. Wenzel Fuchs also enjoyed the opportunity of playing as a substitute in all Viennese orchestras, including the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Wiener Philharmoniker; he won awards from the Austrian Ministry of Science and Arts as well as the "Jugend musiziert" competitions.

He began his professional career at the age of 19 as principal clarinettist of the Vienna Volksoper and followed five years later by a similar appointment with the Vienna RSO. Since 1993 he has been the solo clarinettist of the Berlin Philharmonic.

In addition to his work in the orchestra, Fuchs is active as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, the China National SO, the Korean SO, the Berlin Symphony and the Berlin Philharmonic as well as a chamber music player in, among other groups, the Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, the Philharmonic Wind Soloists, the Philharmonic Octet and the Philharmonic Friends of Vienna-Berlin. HIs chamber music partners include Yefim Bronfman, Emmanuel Pahud, András Schiff, Albrecht Mayer, Mitsuka Uchida and David Geringas.

Wenzel Fuchs also teaches at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's Karajan Academy and has held a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" Berlin (from autumn 2008 to summer 2012) as well as a visiting professorship at Sakuyou Music University in Okayama, Japan and an honorary professorship at the Shanghai Conservatory. He regularly gives master classes all over the world. Since October 2015 he is professor at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Wenzel Fuchs enjoys skiing and likes most of all to spend his free time with his family.