François Houle

François Houle was born in Lachine, Quebec, and plays primarily clarinet. He studied music formally at McGill University from 1980 to 1984 and then at Yale University from 1985 to 1987, after which he pursued a career in jazz, studying under Steve Lacy. He lived in Vancouver, British Columbia from 1990. Clarinetist François Houle has established himself as one of today's most inventive musicians in all of the diverse musical spheres he embraces: classical, jazz, new music, improvised music, and world music. Inspired by collaborations with the world's top musical innovators, François has developed a unique improvisational language, virtuosic and rich with sonic embellishment and technical extensions. He has actively expanded the clarinet's repertoire by commissioning some of today's leading Canadian and international composers and premiering over one hundred new works. He is a faculty member at the Vancouver Community College School of Music, and in 2006 he became Artistic Director of the Vancouver Creative Music Institute. In 2008, he was appointed as "Associate Composer" of the Canadian Music Centre. He has twice been listed by DownBeat magazine as "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" and was hailed as a "Rising Star" in DownBeat's 2008 Critics' Poll. François Houle's dedication to expanding the boundaries of clarinet performance and his commitment to contemporary composition have made him a vital force in creative music.

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