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AlexCassanyes

Àlex Cassanyes Sabater, (Capellades, Barcelona, 1982). Composer, arranger and bandleader with an ambitious and distinctive personality that takes shape in his instrumentation and contemporary vision that gives his works a particular sound and affinity.

Àlex Cassanyes has been recognized with international awards on four different occasions. He won the 1st Place award in “European Bigband Composer Competition” in Copenhagen (DK) (2013) for his piece After The Dawn. Moreover, in August 2014, he was also the 1st Prize winner in the "XXVIIth Concorso Internazionale de Composizione per Orchestra Jazz" within the frame of the Barga Jazz Festival (IT) for his work Horizontal Balance. Towards the end of 2014, he won the 1st Prize in the arrangement competition of the "XXXVth Festival Internacional de Jazz de Granada" (ES) for his arrangement of the Catalan traditional folk song named El Testament d'Amèlia. In 2019 he won the 1st Price in the “Esko Linnavali Big Band Composition Competition” in Helsinki (FI) with his piece El mal de Montano. This contest is organized by the finnish UMO Jazz Orchestra. Also in 2019, he was a finalist in the “31 Concorso Internazionale di Arrangiamento per Orchestra Jazz” at Barga Jazz Festival (IT). His arrangement was played by Barga Jazz Orchestra and Dave Douglas.

His main project is centered leading his own band called “Alex Cassanyes Big Band Project”. In 2018 he released the album “The Garden of Eden”. Nowadays, the band is collaborating with catalan singer Anna Roig performing a project called “La Tendresse”, based in the french song with the arrangements by Alex Cassanyes.

In 2021, UnderPool Records released his new album Composició II - Carta Blanca a l'Estival de Jazz d'Igualada.

In 2017 he participated in Florida (US) at the ISJAC symposium (International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers) with his music being commented by the american composer Maria Schneider. Likewise, in 2019 he participated at the ISJAC symposium in Greeley, CO.

His Bachelor’s Degree in Composition is from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), where he studied with such renowned masters and more recently he was also taught by the Italian arranger Duccio Bertini, american composer John Hollenbeck and german composer/arranger Florian Ross.

Awards

1st prize - Esko Linnavali Big Band Composition Competition (hosted by UMO Jazz Orchestra) - Helsinki, Finland, 2019 - El mal de Montano 1st prize - Arranging contest for Big Band Fundación SGAE XXXV Festival Internacional de Jazz de Granada - Granada, Spain, 2014 - El Testament d’Amèlia 1st prize - XXVII Concorso Internazionale di Composizione per Orchestra Jazz - Barga Jazz Festival - Barga, Italy, 2014 - Horizontal Ballance 1st prize European Bigband Composition Competition - Copenhagen, Denmark, 2013 - After the Dawn


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