Charles-Eric Fontaine is a Montréal conductor and oboist with a strong interest in new music and collaboration between performer and composer. He stands out for his attention to detail and his concern for the musicians with whom he works, resulting in an intimate and brilliant style of playing. He has conducted the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Ensemble Court-Circuit, Paramirabo, Ensemble Divertimento, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.
Charles-Eric studied at McGill University, where he obtained a Bachelor's degree in oboe performance, followed by a Master's degree in conducting in 2021. He trained with Alain Cazes, while also having the chance to perfect his skills with Guillaume Bourgogne, Lorraine Vaillancourt, Jean Deroyer and Sandro Gorli. He has conducted over thirty world premieres, recorded two CDs, including a work on Francesco Ciurlo's monographic CD with Ensemble Divertimento, and worked with Stephen McAdams and Robert Hasegawa as part of the ACTOR research program. With Ensemble Éclat, of which he is musical and artistic director, the young conductor aspires to highlight the great works of the canon, while supporting composers of generations to come.
Laureate of the Royaumont Foundation in 2023, Charles-Eric has received grants from the Austrian Society, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, and a prize from the Italian Ministry of Culture.
