2012 Conductor Bio
Alain Cazes
Awarded first prize in tuba and chamber music at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal (1978), Alain Cazes pursued his studies in the United States with Joseph Novotny, Donald Harry and Ronald Bishop.
In Brazil, he was solo tuba with the Paraeba State Orchestra, member of the Brass-IL Quintet and professor at the Federal University of Paraeba (UFPB). He taught at the Universite du Quebec in Montreal, the Conservatoire de Musique de Montreal and the Universite de Montreal, where he was in charge of Wind Orchestras, brass department, teaching tuba, chamber music and conducting. A frequent soloist, he has performed the radio "premieres" of several Canadian works for tuba and also lectures on orchestra conducting and brass instruments. He adjudicates regularly at several international Festivals and Competitions. He was also a member of the Summit Brass Council in Colorado. He teaches in summer music camps like the Orford Art Center and the International Brass Symposium of Ascoli Pecino in Italy.
Now solo tuba with the Orchestre Metropolitain in Montreal, he has also performed with the Montreal Symphony and other orchestras in the world under the direction of conductors such as; Mehta, Dutoit, Decker, Baudo, Foster, Kmura, Muller, Toppilow, Grossmann, Veltri and many others. He is also co-director of the Orchestre Metropolitain Choir.
Alain Cazes, a founding member of the Philharmonie des vents du Quebec, is a full time Professor at McGill University where he conducts the Wind Orchestras and teaches Conducting and Chamber Music and acts as Co-Chair of the Brass Area. He has written numerous arrangements for a variety of instrumental ensembles, including brass trios, quartets and quintets. Some of those arrangements have been published by GAM. He has written numerous arrangements for wind orchestra and mixed choir. He is also Vice-President of CIME (Centre International de Musique Evangelique).