Flanders Music Centre is now Kunstenpunt / Flanders Arts Institute.

Alain Craens

Alain Craens was born on 17 May 1957 in Kapellen. He showed a predilection for music early on, and took his higher secondary education at the Arts High School in Antwerp. He later continued his studies at the Royal Flemish Conservatory in the same city. There he studied oboe, English horn, chamber music, analysis and form (with August Verbesselt), as well as harmony and composition (with Willem Kersters). He earned his diplomas in fugue and counterpoint with Rafaël D'Haene at the Brussels Royal Conservatory. Craens is now himself on staff as a composition teacher at the Antwerp Conservatory, giving classes in harmony, counterpoint and fugue. He is also the artistic director of the Conservatory. As a performer, he was the oboe solo for seven years with the orchestra of the Flemish Chamber Opera, and also with the Flemish chamber orchestra, with which he has played numerous concerts both in Belgium and abroad. He has composed many works for this chamber orchestra. He has received further commissions from the Flanders Festival, the Beethoven Academie and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders. In 1985, his composition Divertimento for oboe, clarinet and bassoon won the Albert de Vleeshouwer Prize. The two piano compositions, Zoals het klokje thuis tikt (As the Clock Ticks at Home) and Valkenjacht (Falcon Hunting) each won the Cantabile Prize for composition (respectively in 1989 and 1991). In 1991, he also wrote the obligatory work for brass instruments and piano for the Pro Civitate National Music Competition.

He teaches 'harmony and counterpoint' and 'arrangement', and co-ordins a performing musician, he was oboe soloist of the orchestra of the Flemish Chamber Opera and the Flemish Chamber Orchestra and gave concerts with various ensembles at home and abroad.
ates the subjects of music theory at the Antwerp conservatoire, where he has also been a member of the artistic board since 2001.

Alain Craens received various assignments for compositions and his works have been premièred and played by renowned musicians and ensembles. Many compositions are recorded on cd (on the labels Arsis Classic, Phaedra, De Haske,...) or were recorded for radio.

Selective bibliography
- November Music, by Alain Craens, in cd-leaflet KVC 2000.001, 2000
- Divertimento en Experience, by Alain Craens, in cd-leaflet Phaedra 92020


Scores:
Crescendo (Antwerpen)
DMP (Antwerpen)
Lantro Music (Grimbergen)
Billaudot (Paris)

Selectieve discografie als componist

	A portrait of the composer Alain Craens (2013) 20th century, 21st century / contemporary Jan Guns, Alain Craens, Rita Rommes, I Solisti del Vento, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Emanon ensemble, The Moscow Chamber Soloists String Quartet		Flowers for the bass clarinet (2012) 20th century Jan Guns, Johan Favoreel, Wilfried Westerlinck, Anastasia Koszushko, York Bowen, Rita Rommes, Alain Craens, Moscou Chamber Soloists (...)
	Tarquinia (2010) 20th century Emanon ensemble, Hubert Damen, Peter Welffens, Joseph Jongen, Frits Celis, Alain Craens, Raf De Keninck		Cantabile (2008) 20th century Stéphane Vande Ginste, Tom De Haes, Ludo Claesen, Bert Van Herck, Peter Thys, Geert D'hollander, Bernard Baert, Stefaan De Lange (...)
	Emanon Mystery (2003) 20th century Emanon ensemble, Petra Vermote, Peter Thys, Alain Craens, Stefan Wellens		I solisti del Vento Beethoven - Craens (2003) 20th century, romanticism, classicism I Solisti del Vento, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Joris Van den Hauwe, Roeland Hendrikx, Francis Pollet, Rik Vercruysse, Frank Hendrickx, Tobias Knobbloch (...)
	Meesterlijk - Houtblazers (2002) 21st century / contemporary, 20th century, classicism, Baroque I Solisti del Vento, Hans de Jong, Jan Guns, Joris Van den Hauwe, Francis Pollet, Johan Rycken, Jan De Maeyer, The clarinet choir (...)		Look, a bass clarinet in my garden! (2001) 20th century Gemini Ensemble, Jan Guns, Trio Classicum, The Moscow Chamber Soloists, Dirk Brossé, Johan Favoreel, Alain Craens, Wilfried Westerlinck (...)
	Miniaturen voor archipel (2000) 20th century Kris Matthynssens, Pieter Stas, Goeyvaerts Strijktrio, Jan Van Landeghem, Bart Meynckens, Stefaan De Bruyne, Bart Van Kerchove, Boudewijn Buckinx (...)		Compositieklas. Willem Kersters (2000) 20th century Gaby Van Riet, Sophie Hallynck, Noëlle Schepens, Joris Van den Hauwe, Pieter Nuytten, Alain Craens, Koen Dejonghe, Wim Henderickx (...)

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