Gaston Waltzing

• function: artistic director
• company: Festival International Echternach Jazz

participation in

• WOMEX 2009

Gast Waltzing
Biography

Born in the Grand Duche of Luxembourg in 1956, Gast Waltzing's defining passion has always been music. At the age of 7 he began his studies at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg, continued his classical training at the Conservatoire Royal de Brussels and completed his studies at the Conservatoire National Superior de Paris. "I am always a musician" he states, "It's not like I wake up and decide where to schedule music in. It is always present."

He was named Professor of Trumpet at the Conservatoire of Luxembourg in 1982, and in 1986 founded the Jazz Department of which he remains the head.

He has many of albums ranging from Classical (Film Music for George and the Dragon and for JCVD) to Jazz to Dance, notably his early jazz groups, "Atmosphere" and "Lifes Circle" and more recently his jazz group "Largo", which released 2 albums on Warner Jazz, London, and has most recently released the third "Largo" album titled "It's All About Us" in October 2009 on his own label WPRJazz. "I am so tired of all the backward looking that goes on in Jazz right now. The original innovators were just that… innovators, and they took influence from everything that was around them. They didn't try to sound exactly like anyone else. Jazz is a living music, and it doesn't belong in the past. It needs to move on. Hip-Hip, DJ culture, dance music, it all plays a part in my composing"

And he began composing at 15, with the Luxembourg Jazz Five, and has always composed original music for his many formations, expanding into the composition and production of music for Film and Television in 1989, with the original score for "A WOP BOP A LOP BOP" for which he was nominated for Best European Film Composer. Since that time he has composed and produced over 150 original scores for Film and TV.

Many of his Film music scores were written for Symphony Orchestra and he has conducted and recorded them with the Orchestra Philharmonic du Luxembourg. He has also conducted several very special public productions with Orchestra Philharmonic de Luxembourg, such as a coronation celebration concert for Luxembourg's Grand Duc in 2000 with Patricia Kaas, and the opening of the Tour de France in 2002 with the Scorpions. In 2004 Waltzing founded WPR (Waltzing-Parke Records) the mother company of his "WPR Jazz" label. To date Gast has recorded and produced 8 new jazz artists on this label, with 3 more to be released by fall of 2010. WPR Jazz is distributed throughout Europe. A second label, WPR music was started in 2005 with two pop/rock artists. For more information on Waltzing or his recording label visit: waltzingparke.com

In 2005 Gast has composed and conducted the first concert of his newly founded "Orchestra National du Jazz, Luxembourg" (ONJL for short) with guest star George Duke, for the opening of the newly built Salle Grand Duchess Charlotte. He also composed, conducted and produced the fireworks music for Luxembourg's National Day celebration and conducted the large outdoor concert of the Orchestra Philharmonic du Luxembourg featuring renown French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood.

It was quite natural for the Salle Grand Duchess Charlotte to choose Waltzing to program and conduct the first "Pops At The Phil" in May 2006, a newly founded series at the Philharmonie in which the Orchestra Philharmonic du Luxembourg performs a more popular program with popular soloists. This first concert was more than sold out (they actually added chairs in the hall) and enjoyed a huge success with local soloists and the famous Belgian jazz singer Maurane. . He is now head POP's conductor for the Salle Grand Duchess Charlotte, in Luxembourg and has each year organized a concept program for the POPs concert, including such artists as the New York Voices, James Morrison, and Dion Warwick.

Gast was asked to program the jazz concert series for the Festival International Echternach Luxembourg in 2008 for the first year the festival included jazz and world music, and the series has become a success.

This year Waltzing will also conduct the Saarbrucken Radio Orchestra, both in Saarbrucken and at the Salle Grand Duches Charlotte in Luxembourg for this POP's concert event.


CONTACT INFO

Waltzing-Parke Productions S. a r. l.
108 rue du Rollingergrund
L-2440 Luxembourg

Tel: +352 16 66 65
Fax: +352 2668 7550
email: wpr@pt.lu
www.waltzingparke.com