Alain Craens Belgian Flemish Composer & Music Professor
Alain Craens, Composer
Alain Craens is Flemish Composer,
After finishing secondary art education, Alain Craens continued his education at
the Royal Flemish Conservatoire, where he obtained First Prizes for composition,
solfège, harmony, counterpoint, fugue, oboe, cor anglais and chamber music.
From 1978 until 1998, he was a teacher of oboe, chamber music and harmony at
the Academy of the town of Leuven (Stedelijk Muziekconservatorium van
Leuven), the State Academy of Antwerp and at the Ekeren branch of the
Academy of the town of Antwerp (Stedelijke Muziekacademie van Antwerpen –
afdeling Ekeren), where he was temporary headmaster from 1993 till 1996.
He teaches harmony and counterpoint, and arrangement. He also co-ordinates
the subjects of music theory at the Antwerp conservatoire, where he has also
been a member of the artistic board since 2001.
As 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.
In gaining his final diploma, he was awarded the Paul Gilson prize for harmony
and the A. De Vleeschouwer prize, which he also won in May 1985 for his
composition “Divertimento for oboe, clarinet and bassoon”. He was also awarded
twice the Cantabile prize for piano composition, in 1989 and 1991.
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.
