In 1953, he founded the Belgian quartet of Saxophones, which later became a quintet, septet and even octet. When saxophone and clarinet were taught in the same classes, he became, in 1954, the first Saxophone professor at the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussels, where he taught until 1981. During his entire rich career as soloist and teacher, he strove to make the classical saxophone known. He is the founder of the Belgian School of Saxophone, which he gladly presents as a blend of the French School of Marcel Mule and the American School, a mixture characterised by the quality of the sound, the rhythmic rigour, the observance of nuances and the respect of the text of the pieces studied. He was one of the main actors of the success of the European Saxophone Meeting (Dinant - 1990). He is one of the mainsprings of the International Adolphe Sax Association, in which he held the Presidency of the Musical Committee, until 2004. He was also Chairman of the Jury for the International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 1994, 1998 and 2002) and for the Competition for Young Saxophonists (Dinant - 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003). In January 1999, he was declared Honorary Citizen of the City of Dinant.

After successfully passing the examination for Officer-chief of Music in 1983, he became bandmaster of the Belgian Royal Air Force Band. King Albert II promoted him to the post of Major-chief on 1 st December 2004.

He was also professor at the European University of Saxophone in Gap (France) and in Alicante (Spain) and has given master classes in Utrecht (The Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain) and Caracas (Venezuela).

As soloist, guest conductor or with the Royal Band of the Belgian Air Force he has recorded 55 CD's and has performed all around the world.

As a composer, he has written numerous works for wind band and brass band, and works for soloist and piano. Most of his works are recorded on CD and have been performed by the greatest orchestras.

In November 1993, the Union of Belgian Composers granted him the Fuga trophy, in recognition for his constant activity in favour of Belgian contemporary music.

In 1986, he participated in the European Saxophone Meeting in Aix-les-Bains, where he was appointed Vice-president of the Association for the development of the Saxophone (APES) and where he committed to doing everything in order to organise the European Meeting of 1990 in Dinant.

He was Secretary General of the Jury of the International Adolphe Sax Competition organised in Dinant in 1994, 1998 and 2002. In November 2002, he conducted 1312 saxophonists in Dinant, thus establishing the world record of the biggest saxophone orchestra.

Since 2005, he holds the Presidency of the International Adolphe Sax Competition and of the Competition for Young Saxophonists, organised in Dinant.

In 2003, with the Royal Band of the Air Force, he accompanied the greatest soloist at the World Saxophone Congress of Minneapolis (Minnesota). In July 2006, he was guest conductor at the World Saxophone Congress of Ljubljana (Slovenia). From 2003 to 2006, he was also a member of the International Committee of the World Saxophone Congress.

After conducting the Royal Band of the Air Force for 21 years, Major Alain Crepin has been appointed Artistic Director of the Defence Orchestras, on 1 st September 2005.

He has participated in different Saxophone Wold Congresses (Bordeaux, London, Chicago, Nuremberg, Washington, Montréal and Ljubljana). He taught at the Royal Music Conservatory of Antwerp from 1985 to 2006, and was also Director of the Music Academy of Tessenderlo from 1987 to 2006. He is the Conductor of the Royal Bands of Zichem since 1972 and of Hamont since 1996. In 1996, Freddy Vanattenhoven went on a tour in Ecuador as a soloist with the National Orchestra of that country. In 1997, he premiered Trilogie by Willy Bauweraerts, award-winning work of the Composition Competition for Alto Saxophone and Piano organised by the Belgian Artistic Promotion of the SABAM and the International Adolphe Sax Association and compulsory work for the semi-final in the 2 nd International Adolphe Sax Competition. He is an active member of the Musical Committee of the International Adolphe Sax Association and was a Member of the Jury for the Competition for Young Saxophonists (Dinant - 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005) and Member of the Arbitration Committee in the 2 nd International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 1998). He was Vice-chairman of the 3rd International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 2002) and will be the Vice-chairman of the 4 th International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 2006).

Después fue admitida en el Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música de París, donde estudió tres años con Daniel Deffayet, antes de obtener su Primer PreWhen she went back to Norway, she pursued a double career as musician and pedagogue, trying to link the Norwegian tradition of wind instruments with the great French tradition of the classical saxophone. She has been rewarded as orchestra musician, having played with all the main orchestras of Norway, conducted by great artists such as Berglund, Salonen, Saraste, Dimitriev, Kitayenko, Aschkenazy and de Burgos.

For more than 20 years, she has been the favourite saxophonist of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Oslo, with which she has participated in recordings as well as tours in Europe, conducted by Mariss Jansons. She plays as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Oslo, the Symphonic Orchestra of Trondheim, the Chamber Orchestra of Oslo, the Orchestra of NRK (Norwegian Radio) and with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bergen.

ergej Osadchuk. Vibeke Breian es Profesora de saxofón en la Academia de Música de Oslo desde 1988, así como en el Conservatorio de música de Tromso, desde 1996.

He is a Professor of Artistic Education at National Region Conservatory of Versailles since 1998. He also takes part in the CEFEDEM of Bourgogne and Lorraine, has given master classes in France (CNR of Lyon, CNR of Montpellier, ENM of Annecy...), in Estonia, Slovenia, Spain, England, Italy, Taiwan, Japan,... He also teaches at the European University of Saxophone of GAP.

He was the winner of the first prize at the International Adolphe Sax Competition of Dinant, in 1994, where he also obtained the Prize to the Best interpretation of the Contemporary work.

He obtained the Third Prize at the International Competition of Musical Performance of Geneval, in 1995, and the Second Prize at the International Jean-Marie Londeix Competition of Bordeaux, in 1996, as well as the Prize to the Youngest Soloist Finalist.

He is a member of the Court-Circuit ensemble (conducted by Pierre-André Valade) and of the Arcanes Quartet. He participates frequently in premieres of the EIC and IRCAM. He collaborates occasionally with the orchestra of the National Opera of Paris, the Orchestra of Paris, 2E2M, Itinéraire, Tm+, l'EOC, fa ensemble... He went on a European tour with the EIC (conducted by Pierre Boulez) and has given concerts in Europe, the United States, Japan, Taiwan... He has collaborated with numerous composers, including Pierre Boulez (premiere of Dialogue de l'Ombre Double ), E. Campion, G. Grisey, P. Leroux, B. Mantovani, M. Jarrel... He is Director of Collection at Billaudot.

At the age of 24, he became the first saxophonist to win the Great Prize of the International Tremplin of the Music Competitions in Canada and he also won the Concurso Internationale di Esecuzione Musicale of Ancona, in Italy.

Backed by scholarships of the Arts Council of Canada and of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Québec, he initiated a brilliant debut of his career, which led him to perform, among other places, in Toronto, Ottawa, Washington D.C., Newport, Paris, Strasburg, Buenos Aires, Salzburg, Berlin, Tokyo, Osaka and Ljubljana. His collaboration with ensembles such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, the Villa Musica Ensemble and the Musik Fabrik NRW allows him to work with the composers Franco Donatoni, Hans-Joachim Hespos and Vinko Globokar. Daniel Gauthier provides the premiers of numerous works written for him.

Given that he refuses any kind of exclusive specialisation, he plays contemporary authors as well as the classical ones and carries out numerous transcriptions which broaden his repertoire.

He has recorded several times, on CD and for radio and television and we can highlight, in 1990, the first world recording of the Légende by André Caplet for saxophone and orchestra.

Established in Germany since 1991, he further developed his career and created in 1994 the Alliage Quartett, with which he performs throughout Europe.

In 1997, Daniel Gauthier obtained the first post of professor assigned to a classical saxophonist in Germany.

Besides, he is the founder of the international competition for saxophone quartets, which attracted in 2000 nearly a hundred saxophonist in Dortmund, and then was elected, that same year, member of the International Committee of the Saxophone World Congress.

He is an internationally acknowledged saxophone player, and he has appeared as a soloist with many symphonic orchestras (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, New Zealand Philharmonic Orchestra, (Seoul) Korea Philharmonic Orchestra.) and wind ensembles in the United States and throughout the world.

It was in 1973 that his work as composer was recognised, for he received the Composition Prize of the SACEM. A certain number of his works are nowadays part of the saxophone repertoire. He has given numerous concerts and has participated in festivals in Japan, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, England, Canada and the United States... While his repertoire includes works from the baroque, classical and romantic periods, it is his own avant-garde improvisations and his new techniques for the saxophone that he particularly presents during his European tours. He is considered one of the most colourful and creative artists and composers in Japan and Europe. From 1988, he started a method of musicokinetic therapy, a mixture of physiology, medicine and music. He currently teaches music at the Osaka University of Arts, he is the President of the Noda Music Institute and is a musicokinetic therapist at the Ishikiriseiki Hospital of Osaka.

As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in numerous festivals (Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Musica Strasbourg, Ars Nova Mainz, Nova Antiqua Köln, Musika Viva München, Warsaw Autumn.) and in several concert halls in Europe (London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Lisbon.) as well as in Canada and in the United States. He has recorded for many radios and televisions (BBC London, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Deutschlandradio, SWR Stuttgart, SWR Baden Baden, Radio Lisboa, Poljski radio, RTV Slovenija.) and has recorded numerous CD's. He has also collaborated with composers such as Nenad First, Vinko Globokar, Uros Krek, Milko Lazar, Lojze Lebic, Urska Pompe, Uros Rojko, Primoz Ramovs, Larisa Vrhunc, Mark Anthony Turnagem (England), Christian Lauba (France), François Rossé (France), Klaus Obermaier (Austria).

He has worked with saxophonists and ensembles of international renown: Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Matjaz Drevensek, Daniel Gauthier, Philippe Geiss, Jean-Marie Londeix, the Zagreb Saxophone Quartet, the Bohemia Saxophone Quartet.

He gives conferences regularly at international summer universities (Musical Summer at the Podsreda Castle, International Summer Universities of Alpe, Adrija and Donava) and participates in several Slovenian and international competitions as member of the jury. He is the co-founder of the Slavko Osterc Ensemble (2001). He teaches at the Music Conservatory of Ljubljana. He was the Artistic Director of the Organising Committee of the 14 th Saxophone World Congress of Ljubljana, in July 2006.

He has recorded for the Spanish National Radio. In 1993, he received a grant from the Culture Department of Valencia, which allowed him to continue his studies with the Professor Daniel Deffayet. He has worked with orchestras such as the JONDE, Symphonic Orchestra of Timisoara (Romania), the Orchestra and Choir of the Kirov Opera Theatre of Saint-Petersburg, the Symphonic Orchestra of Tenerife, the Symphonic Orchestra of Galicia, the Symphonic Orchestra of the Mediterranean, the Symphonic Orchestra of Bilbao and the Symphonic Orchestra of Alicante. Since 1989, he is regularly guest professor of the Orchestra of Valencia. As a performer, he has given concerts in duet with Daniel Deffayet, Claude Delange, Arno Bornkamp. He is a Selmer musician. He was the President of the Organising Committee of the 11 th World Saxophone Congress of Valencia in 1997.

He followed courses of contemporary music at the IRCAM (class of D. Kientzy). He participates in programmes going from baroque music to contemporary music, with all types of saxophones (sopranino, soprano alto, tenor, baritone and bass).

He has given several concerts in Italy as well as abroad (France, Spain, Austria, Japan, Germany, Israel and Canada) and has participated in a tour in Japan. In 1990, he was soloist in La Vera Storia by Luciano Berio.

Since 1986, he collaborates with the Orchestra of the Saint Cecile National Academy in Rome, as first saxophonist, conducted by the greatest contemporary conductors: Luciano Berio, Rudolf Barshai, Valerij Gergeev, Georges Pretre, Michel Tabachnik, Daniele Gatti, Franco Mannino, Carlo Maria Giulini, Christian Thielemann, Vladimir Spivakov, Roberto Abbado, Lukas Foss, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Yuri Temirkanov, Myung-Whun Chung, Gianluigi Gelmetti, John Adams, Ennio Morricone, Yutaka Sado. In 1997 and 1998, with the Orchestra of the Saint Cecile National Academy, he participated in the recording of Andréa Bocelli for Deutsche Grammophon and of Ennio Morricone for Sony Classic. I n 1999 and 2000, conducted by M. Chung, he recorded music by Gershwin, Bernstein and D. Kellington.

In 1990, he founded a saxophone quartet that bears his name. This quartet, famous for the quality and homogeneity of the rendering and for its virtuosity, has carried out numerous recordings, including, in 1997, a CD of music by French authors of the 20 th century (Perné, Schmitt, Rivier and Bernaud).

He has participated in several World Saxophone Congresses (Tokyo, Pesaro, Valencia, and Montréal).

In 1982, he obtained the First Prize of Saxophone. Since then, he has performed as a soloist with a great number of orchestras in Europe and Latin America. He has given recitals in different concert halls throughout the world (including China and Japan). He has taken part in several World Saxophone Congresses (Nuremberg, Washington, Tokyo, Valencia.). The reputation of the Latin-American s axophonist Miguel Villafruela is based both on his talent and his pedagogical activities. Thanks to his efforts, a saxophone class was finally created officially in 1982, at the Instituto Superior de Arte of Cuba. In 1993, he created a saxophone class at the University of Chile, where he actually teaches and, in 1999, he introduced the teaching of the saxophone at the Catholic University's Music Institute in Santiago .

He is a versatile musician. His repertoire includes a wide range of Latin-American works, most of them dedicated to him. We owe him numerous recordings. He is also active in the field of chamber music. With three of his best Chilean students, he founded in 1997 a new saxophone quartet, eager to carry on with the Villafruela Quartet, founded in Havana in 1990.

The most important distinction he has received in his home country is the Cuba's Order for National Culture. He was a winner at the Léopold Bellan Competition in Paris (1980) and at the Pyongyang Festival in Korea (1990). In 2001, the Chilean Society for Copyright awarded him with its annual reward. He has also been nominated three times for the Alzator Classical Music Prize, for his performances and recordings from 1999 to 2001. In 2002, he received the Artistic Merit Diploma of the University of Arts of Cuba, as a token for his contribution in the development of generations of Cuban saxophonists. In 2003, he was appointed Best Teacher of the Year by the Conservatory of the University of Chile.

The 11 members of the jury sitting during the preliminary round will be joined, from the semi-final, by Pierre Batholomée and Roger Boutry and, at the final round, by Piet Swerts, composer of Kotekan , for saxophone and string orchestra, compulsory work for the final round of the 4 th International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 2006).

After starting a pianist career, which allowed him to perform in recitals, with orchestra and in chamber music in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain, he conducted the Musique Nouvelle Ensemble not only in the main cities of Belgium, but also in numerous European festivals for numerous radios and some televisions, while assuming the functions of producer of the music service for the Belgian television (RTBF). Later, he devoted thirty years of his career to orchestra conducting, by conducting numerous Belgian and international ensembles and conducting, during twenty-two seasons, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liege. He is invited all over Europe, America and Japan to interpret a very wide repertoire (from Purcell to Boulez, from Bach to Messiaen, from Haydn to Pousseur), and collaborates with great soloists (Arthur Grumiaux, Yehudi Menuhin, Leonid Kogan, Elisabeth Leonskaya, Christian Zacharias, Hélène Grimaud, Jessye Norman, Barbara Hendrickx, Montserrat Caballe, José Van Dam, Narciso Yepes, Heinrich Schiff, Janos Starker, Paul Tortelier. ) and has carried out numerous and award-winning recordings on radio and CD, rewarded with a Charles Cros Prize, Victoire de la Musique, Koussewitzky Prize and two Cecilia Prizes. Pierre Bartholomée has always put special emphasis, in his programmes, on creation, on the dissemination of works of his fellow countrymen and on the support of young artists. His personal catalogue includes, in particular, an opera, six pieces for full orchestra, chamber music, vocal music, instrumental pieces and electronic music. All this works have been performed, some of them in great international music centres (Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Washington, Montréal, Québec, Geneva.). After teaching musical analysis at the Royal Music Conservatory of Brussels, Pierre Bartholomée was resident composer at the Catholic University of Louvain where he was a guest professor and where he promoted during three years an inter-faculty workshop on musical writing. Pierre Bartholomée is member of the Fine Arts class of the Royal Academy of Belgium. He has chaired several times the jury of the Antonio Pedrotti International Orchestra Conducting Competition in Trento (Italy) and has participated in the work of juries of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Brussels), the Gaudeamus Competition (Hilversum), the Queen Marie-José Composition Competition (Geneva), the Composition Competition of the International Festival of Besançon and the International Piano Competition of Geneva.

He continued simultaneously his work as a composer and in 1954 he obtained a First Rome Prize, which won him a fruitful stay at the famous Villa Médicis.

Then, numerous occasions to express himself were offered to him, first as a composer and pianist (he played conducted by prestigious conductors such as André Cluytens, Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht, Pierre Monteux, Pierre Dervaux, Jean Martinon.), then as conductor (he was invited to numerous French and foreign orchestras).

His appointment in 1962 as Harmony professor at the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris marked the beginning of his pedagogical activities, well-known beyond the French borders. He also obtained, among other prizes, the Great Musical Prize of the City of Paris, the Georges Bizet Prize of the Institut de France, the Great Promotion Prize of the SACEM. It was in 1973 that he was entrusted with the musical training of the Republican Guard, a prestigious formation created on 4 th October 1802 by Napoleon. He was the president of this famous group until 1997.

As accomplished composer, outstanding pianist, conductor with a wide and varied repertoire, Roger Boutry was elected Personality of the Year in 1989, for the whole of his artistic activities. He has composed for saxophone: Divertimento , Sérénade , Azar for alto and piano, Improvisations , Etincelles for saxophone quartet, Alternances, Sketch , Eclats d'Azur for saxophone quartet and orchestra as well as Divertimento for saxophone and string orchestra, a work that can be chosen for the final round of the 4 th International Adolphe Sax Competition (Dinant - 2006).