Biography - Antonio Cánovas

Biography

Born in 1979, in Totana (Murcia),Spain. After his musical studies in the professional conservatories in Ávila and Murcia, he began his Undergraduate Studies in the Superior Conservatory of Music “Oscar Esplá” in Alicante, studying with Mr. José Manuel Zaragoza. Mr. Cánovas graduated with honours and won, by unanimous vote of the final jury, the “End of Degree Award” in Saxophone in 2002.

Concurrently, he also received saxophone instruction from professors of international renown such as Claude Delangle, Jean Yves Fourmeau, Jean Marie Londeix, Marie Bernardette Charrier, Arno Bornkamp, Daniel Kientzy, Vincent David, Fabrizio Mancusso, Quatuor “Habanera”, Eric Devallon…

As a soloist He has performed with Symphony Orchestra of UCAM (Spain), Wind Orchestra "Ciudad de Oviedo" (Spain), Wind Orchestra of Valenciennes (France). He has performed, as member of various ensembles (duet with piano, saxophone quartets, etc.) in France (Poitiers, Dijon, Valenciennes), United Kingdom (London and Cardiff), The Netherlands (Groningen, Utrecht), Italy (Naples, Nocera Terinese, Mesina), Bulgaria (Sofia and Varna) and Spain (Asturias, Castilla y León, Cantabria, Extremadura, Murcia, Andalucía, Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla La Mancha…)

He is a regular collaborator with the Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias (OSPA), with the Oviedo Philharmonic and the Symphony Orchestra of Gijón, performing throughout Spain, and has recorded with the OSPA for the RTVE musical label, working with great conductors like Maximiano Valdés, Rossen Milanov, Kynan Johns, David Lockington, Perry So, Marzio Conti, Yves Abel, Fiedrich Haider, Oliver Díaz, Jordi Bernacer, Álvaro Alviach, ...  

As a pedagogue, Mr. Cánovas has been invited by the University of Oviedo to give lectures on the Saxophone for the knowledge and diffusion of the saxophone in the universitary field. He also has been called upon to act as Saxophone instructor in the Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias Youth program. Furthermore, Mr Cánovas give courses and master-class with national (León, Asturias, Zamora, Navarra, Almería) and international renow, in places like Trinity College of Music in London (United Kingdom), Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff (United Kingdom), Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht and Prince Claus Conservatoire in Groningen (The Netherlands), Conservatorio de Música "Luisa D´Annunzio" in Pescara and Conservatorio de Música "San Pietro a Majella" in Naples, Conservatorio di Musica "Tchaikovsky" de Nocera Terinese (Italy), Conservatoire de Musique "Jean Philippe Rameau" in Dijon (France), Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo in Porto (Portugal), Royal Conservatory of Music of Antwerpen (Belgium), Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (Poland), Conservatoire de Musique "Eugenne Bozza" in Valenciennes (France), Conservatorio di Musica "Arcangelo Corelli" in Mesina (Italy), Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich (Germany), Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest (Hungary) and Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium in Feldkirch (Austria).

He is a holder of degrees in History and Sciences of Music (Musicology) from the University of Oviedo. He was Saxophone Professor at the Superior Conservatory of Music of Oviedo, from 2003 to 2023, winning said position through extensive interview/audition process in 2006. Mr. Cánovas was the Conductor of the Saxophone Ensemble of the Oviedo Conservatory; with this group he has participated in different recordings and many performances, conducting important saxophonists as Jean Yves Fourmeau, Arno Bornkamp, Gerard McChrystal,Christian Wirth or Nicolas Prost.

Since 2023, He is Saxophone Professor at the Profesional Conservatory of Music of Murcia.

With the pianist Elena Miguélez formed the duo "Saxperience" (Sax & Piano), Member of "Saxtime" Saxophone Quartet, and the "Tubox" duo with organist Rubén Díez, which has made numerous nationals and internationals concerts.

He currently combines these activities with the preparation of his Doctoral Thesis on Spanish Contemporary Music for saxophone, after having obtained his (D.E.A. (Advanced Studies Degree) with distinction, obtaining the maximun grade from the University of Oviedo with the essay "The Contemporary Composition for saxophone in the Generation of 1951".

He was a conductor of Wind Orchestra of AMAM in Mieres (Spain) from 2008 to 2018 and conductor of Symphonic Band of "Ateneo Musical de Mieres" from 2018 to 2023.

Antonio Cánovas is D’Addario Woodwinds and Henri Selmer Saxophones artist