Yan Sallafranque completed his studies at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal in 1991 with a unanimous First Place with Distinction on tuba. He then made his career debut with the Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales where he spent three years, after which he joined l’Orchestre des Jeunes du Québec. He then played with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Orchestre Métropolitain, and performed with other ensembles.
He then embarked on a Master’s in performance at the United States at Arizona State University, where he received an important scholarship. During his two years in Arizona, he won every contests in which he participated, including the Concerto Competition for soloists of the University of Arizona, where he performed John Williams’ Concerto. After his Master’s, he joined the ranks of the Galicia Orchestra in Spain where he made recordings, toured, and taught at the Galicia conservatory.
Since his return from Spain, he has played with les Grands Ballets Canadiens, as well as l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He now teaches tuba, euphonium and chamber music at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, and at Université de Montréal. He continues to perform with various ensembles notably with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières.