PROFESSORS

Vincent David

Vincent David is the leader of a generation of saxophonists who develop the musical and technical possibilities of their instrument. Having won three international awards during his studies, he is an accomplished and complete musician. He is the inspiration behind many creations such as Dialogue de l’ombre double by Pierre Boulez, Troisième round by Bruno Mantovani and Trame XIII by Martin Matalon.

As a soloist, he has performed with major orchestras around the world such as Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, l'Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, and Orchestre National de Strasbourg.
He has collaborated with numerous composers such as L. Berio, P. Boulez, and P. Eötvös. He has been collaborating with the Ensemble Intercontemporain since 1998.

As a composer and orchestra conductor, he has composed music for solo saxophone, saxophone and piano, saxophone and orchestra and jazz duos and quartets. He also devotes himself to improvised music (jazz, contemporary). In 2012 he founded the jazz quartet Fireworks and composes for this ensemble. He has recorded more than half a dozen albums of different styles.
Vincent has taught numerous master classes throughout the world. He is a recognized teacher and attaches importance to the transmission of his experience and his passion for music. Known for being a generous musician, he is very attached to the idea of staying open-minded musically, and promotes artistic curiosity in his class at the CRR de Versailles.
He is also the director of the collection of Ediciones Billaudot.
Vincent enjoys music with taste, joy and passion, supported by the mastery of the saxophone and its extensive interpretation.

Nacho Gascón

Nacho Gascón is a saxophonist who understands the classical history of his instrument and who at the same time explores the new and endless ways of expression that this versatile instrument is capable of developing.

Born in Alicante, he studied at the prestigious University of Southern California in Los Angeles. At this stage he participated in the recording of different films and performed for the first time with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl at the early age of 22..

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He received numerous awards and distinctions, such as the distinguished Yamaha Young Artist and was a finalist in the New York Artist Guild Concert Competition. He was also the first saxophonist to play at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

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He has collaborated with directors and composers such as John Williams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mstilav Rostropovich, John Adams, Eiji Oue, David Robertson, Diego Masson, Michael Stern, Lawrence Foster, Leonard Slatkin and has premiered works by composers such as Arnau Bataller, Bear McCreary, Robert Linn, Berthold Tüercke, Jesus Rodriguez Picó and H. K. Gruber, playing with groups such as The Furious Band, Barcelona 216 and the Ensemble Barcelona Nueva Música and orchestras such as Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, New West Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Pablo Sarasate Orchestra of Pamplona, the Gran Teatro de Liceo Orchestra, the Cadaqués Orchestra and the OBC.

Since 2001 he has been teaching Chamber Music and Saxophone at the Escuela Superior de Música de Cataluña and since 2013 he has also been a specialist in orchestral repertoire at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón.

Claude Delangle

Claude Delangle has been teaching saxophone at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP) since September 1988. As the co-founder of the European Saxophone University of Gap, he has been its artistic director since 1988.

At Pierre Boulez's request, he performed as a soloist or with the Ensemble Intercontemporain from 1986 to 2000. As a close collaborator of Luciano Berio, he plays with the greatest conductors and prestigious orchestras and contributes to the modernization of the repertoire alongside the major composers.

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Claude Delangle has recorded twelve discs for BIS and participated in recording tribute albums for composers such as Claude Debussy, Anton Webern, Luciano Berio, Edison Denisov, Hugues Dufourt, Gérard Grisey and Philippe Leroux, for Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, Erato and Verany.

He has been performing for four decades with his wife the pianist Odile Catelin-Delangle, a professor at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

Claude Delangle contributes to developing Henri-Selmer-Paris company prototypes and directs a sheet music collection at Editions Lemoine Paris in which he is delighted to have published works by his friends Bruno Mantovani, Ichiro Nodaïra, Fuminori Tanada.

Claude Delangle is a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

Mariano García

With a passion for the saxophone, Mariano García seeks to surpass the boundaries of this instrument in all of his performances, broadening his repertoire with transcriptions of all-time great chamber music or contemporary pieces.

Combining his teaching career with that of a concert saxophonist, he has toured China and the USA and has taken part in major festivals in Andorra, Portugal and Italy, offering a repertoire that adapts to different situations, with particular emphasis on contemporary compositions and transcriptions.

In so far as his work as a teacher is concerned, he gives numerous courses and masterclasses in Spain, and Europe.  He has been invited to teach at various American universities including those of North Carolina, South Carolina, the Furman University and the University of Georgia.
 

Since 2009 he has been Head of Saxophone at the Advanced Conservatory of Music of Aragon and is currently one of the most demanded teachers of this instrument.

Saxophone professor as well in Vienna, wiener musik akademie, Mariano was also a teacher at the European Saxophone University in Gap, France 2016-2017.

He has recorded two CDs with the pianist Aniana Jaime under the IBS classical record label, which has received high acclaim from specialized critics.He is frequently asked to sit on juries at international competitions. Since 2010 he has been a Selmer artist and member of the Duo ÁniMa.

Nikita Zimin

Nikita Zimin is one of the most well-known representatives from the Russian classical school of saxophone.

He is a graduate of the Russian Gnesin’s Academy of Music (class of People Artist of Russia, Professor Margarita Shaposhnikova) and Paris National Conservatoire (class of Professor Claude Delangle).
Nikita Zimin is the winner of more than 20 national and international competitions.

From 2007 - 2013 he was a scholarship-holder of the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation. He received scholarships from the President of Russia, the French Government and the Mayer Foundation. Since 2013 Nikita has been the official representative and artist of the company SELMER PARIS. Since 2014 Nikita has been the President of the All-Russian Association of saxophonists.

Nikita Zimin gives recitals, both in Russia and abroad (Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, the USA, Korea, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan), and gives masterclasses.

Christophe Grèzes

Born on January 17, 1986, Christophe Grèzes began his musical studies in the south of France at the age of 11. After studying with Philippe Lecocq in Toulouse and Vincent David at the Conservatoire de Versailles, he continued his musical career with Claude Delangle and David Walter at the CNSMDP.

In addition, Christophe has won several international competitions such as those of Albi (1st prize), Nantes (2nd prize), Huelma (Spain, special Federico COCA prize), Turin (Italy, 1st prize), Benidorm (1st prize), FNAPEC with the Quatuor Morphing (Selmer scholarship), 1st Prize in the Illzach International Chamber Music Competition within the Quatuor Morphing and finally the prestigious Osaka International Chamber Music Competition with the Quatuor Morphing (1st Prize unanimously).

In addition to these awards, he began a fulfilling artistic career performing with internationally renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre philarmonique de radio France and the Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire.

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From an early age, his main activity was oriented towards chamber music work, on which most of his projects were based. He is a founding member of the Quatuor Morphing with a view to having a musically rich career.

In parallel to his activity as a musician, Christophe works at Henri Selmer Paris as a Bec Product Manager and is also responsible for the design of the Henri SELMER Paris saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces.

Valentin Kovalev

Valentin Kovalev was born in April, 1998 in Barnaul (Siberia, Russia).

He is currently a student at the CNSMDP with Claude Delangle. He also studied at Gnessin college, Moscow with Leonid Drutin and at Chopin college with Nikita Zimin.

He is the winner of more than 12 prestigious competitions with the latest ones being:

• Grand Prize: All-Russian competition of saxophonists Pushkinsax 2015 (Pushkino, Russia)

• 3rd prize: Malta music competition 2015, (Malta)

• 1st prize: Golden Saxophone competition (18-25 years) 2015(Odessa, Ukraine)

• 2nd prize: Sax competition (Korolev, Russia)

• 1st prize: EkaterinburgSaxFest 2018,

• 1st prize: Anches simples de Toulouse 2019, (France)

• 1st prize: AndorraSaxFest competition 2019, (Andorra) 

He recorded a CD in 2013 with the "New Russia" orchestra whose chief conductor is Yuri Bashmet.

Valentin has been given 2 awards by the President of the Russian Federation, the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation scholarship (since 2012), and the Moscow Mayor Grant winner (2018).

He is also a member of the Eurasian Saxophone Association (President N.Zimin).

Valentin has participated in many festivals in Russia and Europe.

In April 2019 he toured in China with the “Triton Saxophone Quartet”.

Christophe Bois

Christophe Bois began his saxophone lessons with M. François, J. Amé, J. Mafféï and A. Delage, before studying at the Conservatoire de Paris in Claude Delangle's class, where he won a first prize for saxophone in 1991 as well as in D. Walter's chamber music improvement class.

He founded the Diastema quartet in 1986, with which he won several international prizes. His career as a chamber musician with the Diastema quartet has taken him around the world, alongside his regular appearances in numerous orchestras in France, most notably the Orchestre de Paris.

Christophe Bois taught saxophone in Bourges from 1988 to 2016, also in Tours, and in Paris, where he has been Claude Delangle's assistant professor since 2004 and finally, in the Pôle Supérieur de Poitiers since 2008.

He organized the National Course of Bourges Saxophone from 1989 to 2010 and conducted the orchestra "Harmonie de Bourges" between 1997 and 2011.

He is also the author of several pedagogical works published by Lemoine editions. In 2013, he founded MD publications. In 2016, he created the site www.mdpublications.fr.

Nahikari Oloriz

Born in 1992 in Atarrabia-Villava, she started saxophone at the age of 9. In 2010 she was admitted to the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, and graduated with honours in 2014. In 2016 she obtained the diploma of DEM unanimously from the jury at the CRR of Versailles in the class of Vincent David.
He has collaborated with the Banda Federal de Navarra, Banda Municipal de Barcelona, European Union Youth Wind Orchestra, JONDE, Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire, OBC, and with the Teatre Liceu symphony orchestra.
She has been a finalist in the Capellades Music Paper competition (Barcelona), the Permanent Competition for Young Musicians of Spain, the Golden Saxophone Competition (Ukraine) and the Classic Winds Competition (Germany).

She has also won 4th prize in the Andorran International Saxophone Competition, 2nd prize in the Enkor Competition, 1st prize in the Higini Anglés Competition and 1st prize and special jury prize in the Léopold Bellan Competition.

During her career, she has been supported by the Anna Riera Foundation, AIE, Argorart scholarships, Fondation Meyer and Societé Générale Mécénat Musical. She is an artist of the brands JLV ligatures, D'Addario Woodwinds and Henri Selmer Paris.
She recently graduated with a master’s degree Mention très bien in Paris National Conservatory (CNSMDP) as a student of Claude Delangle, soloist, researcher and pedagogue, one of the greatest contemporary saxophonists, the master of the French saxophone.
She is currently part of the Ensemble Rayuela, with which she is doing the Master of Chamber Music at the CNSMDP with David Walter.

Matthieu Delage

As a musician who is eager to discover more, Matthieu has developed a varied artistic repertoire through playing (saxophone, clarinet, flute), teaching and composing.

After studying saxophone in L'Haÿ-les-Roses with his father, Matthieu continued his apprenticeship at several RRCs in the Paris region. He obtained a Master's degree in saxophone in Claude Delangle's class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, and completed his training by integrating into the generative improvisation class of Vincent Le Quang and Alexandros Markeas, Patrick Moutal's Indian music class as well as David Walter's chamber music class. In 2014 he joined the Jazz Department of the CRD Cachan in the classes of Thomas Savy and Carine Bonnefoy.

He has performed at numerous festivals in France and abroad (Pablo Casals, Théatre du Chatelet, Théatre des Champs Elysées, Philarmonie de Paris, Cité de la Musique, Radio France, Les Grandes Heures de Cluny, Abbaye de Royaumont, Concerts de Poche, les Mélusicales, Junior Festival) and has also won international solo competitions (Adolphe Sax, Lempdes, Metz, Gap, Musique en Courts) as well as playing chamber music with the Morphing Quartet (Fnapec, Osaka, Illzach, Fondation Cziffra and Fondation Banque Populaire).

As a holder of the State Diploma of Saxophone Teacher, Matthieu teaches saxophone and generative improvisation at the CRD of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, he is a teacher every summer at the Emerald Coast Academy and his educational works are published in the editions "Hit Diffusion", "Delage Music" and "La Fabrik à notes".

Antonio García

Born in Segovia, Antonio studied with Juan Clemente at the Conservatorio Superior de Salamanca. After two years of training with Vincent David at the CRR in Versailles (France),

He completed a Masters at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) in Claude Delangle's class. he also did a Masters in Chamber Music in David Walter's class with the Quatuor Yendo formation.

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He has participated in numerous international competitions in Spain, Italy, Croatia, France and Andorra and was awarded the Prize for Musical Performance by the Spanish College of Paris and the INAEM in 2014. At the same time, he is an artist supported by INJUVE and the Spanish Ministry of Education, the association Jeunes Talents and the French foundations Meyer, Tarrazi and Société Générale.

He performs as a soloist with the National Classical Orchestra of Andorra, the CNSMDP Orchestra, the Zagreb Symphony Orchestra, Kammart Ensemble, the Croatian RTSO, the Enigma Group, the Extreme Sound Ensemble and the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, among others. He regularly collaborates with the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra, the Galicia Symphony Orchestra, the Murcia Symphony Orchestra, the ADDA Simfònica and the Lyon National Orchestra.

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He participates in festivals such as the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival, the Autumn Soriano Music Festival, the Segovia Music Festival (MUSEG), the Ciclos de Música Actual del Centro Nacional de Difusión de la Música (CNDM), the Musika-Música Festival in Bilbao and in the World Congresses of Saxophone in Strasbourg (2015) and Zagreb (2018), where he played as a soloist in the opening concert.

He has published three CDs: "Musique Espagnole pour Saxophone"; "La Follia Nuova" with pianist Alexis Gournel; and "Utópico" with Quatuor Yendo.

Antonio is currently one of the top saxophone teachers at the Conservatorio Superior de Música, M. Massotti Littel in Murcia and an artist sponsored by the prestigious brands Henri Selmer Paris and Vandoren Paris.

Raquel Paños

Raquel Paños Castillo began her musical career with Mariano Garcia, Federico Coca at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón (CSMA).

She continued her musical development with Jean-Denis Michat, and finally she got a Masters degree in Saxophone Performance at the CNSM (Paris) under Claude Delangle’s tutelage.

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She has been highly acclaimed in international contests and she received a scholarship by the “Fondation Meyer” and the "Mécénat Musical Société Générale".

In addition, Raquel is stronlgy compromised with different fields of research and with contemporary music premiéres. In 2018, she obtained the “DAI répertoire contemporain et création” with Hae-Sun Kang, and after collaborating with the IRCAM, the “Ensemble Intercontemporain” or the "Maîtrise de Radio France" among others, she is now part of the “Collège Contemporain” in Paris, as an active member and group administrator.

As regards chamber music, her trajectory with the “Rayuela” ensemble  has allowed her to record her first album “Tableaux” (2019), which has been produced in several concert halls  such as the “Philharmonie de Paris" or the "Grand Salon des Invalides". In addition, she has participated in a wide variety of international festivals, where her outstanding performance was commended with the first award and the judges special award at the 91st edition of the international contest Léopold Bellan.

Currently, she is undertaking the Pedagogical Masters Degree (Certificat d’Aptitude) in the conservatory of Paris, while she combines her artistic and teaching activities at the CRC in Courbevoie.

Raquel is a Henri Selmer Paris, D’addario and JLV Sound artist.