Alain Damiens is a distinguished classical French clarinetist born in 1950. A graduate of the Conservatoire de Paris, he earned first prizes in clarinet and chamber music before joining the Ensemble Intercontemporain at IRCAM in 1976. Under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Damiens became a premier interpreter of avant-garde music, premiering seminal works such as Boulez’s "Dialogue de l'ombre double" (1985) and Elliott Carter’s Clarinet Concerto (1997). His discography includes the acclaimed Stravinsky - Boulez - Denisov - Stockhausen - Donatoni - Berio (1988) and Contemporary Clarinet (2003). In addition to his performance career, Damiens has served as a professor at the Conservatoire de Paris.
