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A graduate of the Music and Dance Conservatory of Lyon, Alain Billard joined the Ensemble intercontemporain in 1995, where he performs mainly as bass clarinetist, but also playing clarinet, basset-horn and contrabass clarinet. An internationally acclaimed soloist, he has worked with several contemporary and 20th century composers including Pierre Boulez, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as Philippe Manoury, Michael Jarrell, Pascal Dusapin, Bruno Mantovani and Yann Robin. Regularly invited as guest soloist by leading national and international orchestras, he has premièred and recorded many works including Machine for Contacting the Dead (2001) by Lisa Lim, Génération (2002), a triple concerto for three clarinets by Jean-Louis Agobet, Mit Ausdruck (2003), a concerto for bass clarinet and orchestra by Bruno Mantovani, Décombres by Raphael Cendo (2007), Art of Metal I, II, III (2007-2008) by Yann Robin for contrabass clarinet, chamber