Clay Couturiaux
Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies
/ 940-565-3732
Clay Couturiaux is the Assistant Director of Orchestras at the University of North Texas where he currently teaches orchestral conducting, administrates the orchestral studies area, and is conductor of the UNT Concert Orchestra. In addition, the 2011-12 season marks the eighth year for Couturiaux as music director and conductor of the Monroe Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana. Recent professional conducting engagements include performances with the Abilene Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, in Taipei with the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and in Italy with Milano Classica Orchestra da Camera. Other recent highlights include conducting the UNT Symphony Orchestra in concert for an audience of 37,000 at Cowboys Stadium in a major collaboration with the North Texas XLV Super Bowl Host Committee, NFL Films, and Tim McGraw.
Couturiaux earned the doctor of musical arts degree in orchestral conducting from the University of North Texas as a student of Anshel Brusilow. He further developed his skills through lessons with Hugh Wolff, Neal Gittleman, and Michael Jinbo at the world-renowned Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians, with Harold Farberman and Guillermo Figueroa at Conductors Guild workshops in Puerto Rico, through master classes with Carl Topilow at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and with Pinchas Zukerman and Jorma Panula at the National Arts Centre Conductors Programme in Ottawa, Canada. Other teachers include Kate Tamarkin in conducting, as well as Carter Enyeart, Tanya Remenikova, Walter Gray, and Eugene Osadchy in violoncello.
As assistant conductor of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra from 1998 to 2002, Couturiaux appeared with acclaim on regular subscription series and outdoor concerts. In 2002, Couturiaux stepped-in on last minute notification and without any rehearsal to conduct performances of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker with Ballet Arlington (now Metropolitan Classical Ballet) and conducted “an exciting performance that caught fire” as reported in the Dallas Morning News. A proponent of music education, Couturiaux is active as a guest conductor and clinician for high school regional and youth orchestras. He has also conducted performances for Verizon’s “Arts for Literacy” program. In addition to awards from the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Couturiaux is profiled in the 2004 edition of Who's Who in America.
