Álvaro Canales Albert

Álvaro Canales Albert was born in 1998 into a family of musicians and began his bassoon studies at La Filarmónica de Callosa de Segura with Marco Antonio Clemente. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the Musikene — Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco with David Tomás, Álvaro Prieto, Javier Aragó and Vicente Alario. He is currently studying for a Master’s degree at the Zurich University of the Arts with Matthias Rácz and Hans Agreda.

He was a member of youth orchestras such as the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España (JONDE) and has worked with orchestras including the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic. Since 2021 he has been principal bassoon of the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.

As a soloist he has performed with numerous Spanish and international orchestras such as the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla and the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. As a chamber musician he has worked with renowned artists such as Reto Bieri, José Vicente Castelló, Júlia Gállego, Heinz Holliger, Meesun Hong Coleman and Olli Mustonen and appeared at festivals including the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival.

Álvaro Canales Albert held scholarships from the Elsy Meyer Foundation and the state foundation Villa Musica, and has received several awards in national competitions, among them the special prize for the best world premiere of a contemporary work at the Intercentros Melómano and the first prize at the 2021 bassoon competition of the Asociación de Fagotistas y Oboístas de España (AFOES).