Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, piano
Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden was only 16 years old when he became a laureate of the 1964 Queen Elisabeth Competition, one of the youngest laureates ever to be selected. This precious distinction marked the start of a brilliant career that led him to perform at the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals(1).
An outstanding soloist, he has been acclaimed from New York to Tokyo. A guest of many symphony(2) and chamber orchestras (3), Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden collaborated early on with prestigious conductors (4). He is also a marvelous chamber-music player much admired by his peers, who plays with first-rate Belgian and international partners (5). Sensitive, attentive and always careful to listen to others, his chamber-music concerts are a feast for the ear and the eye.
An international career spanning almost 50 years has confirmed this exceptional pianist in his art and in his mastery. His vast and impressive repertoire includes virtually all the major concertos, a wide range of chamber-music pieces and especially the complete works for piano solo by Maurice Ravel. The press and the public are unanimous: “(the piece) … acquires, under the lively touch of the pianist, subtle variations that, given the richness of detail, hold the listener spellbound. (…) a true lesson in style by the master and virtuoso Vanden Eynden.” (6)
Trained entirely by Eduardo Del Pueyo, from the moment he entered the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in 1959 to the completion of his studies at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in 1965, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden is particularly keen on pursuing the work of his master. He currently teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. In 2004 he reorganized the school founded in 1977 by his master as the Eduardo Del Pueyo Musical Center and became its artistic director; in doing so he intended to offer a fuller curriculum and to bring together talented youths. Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden regularly sits on the juries of the Queen Elisabeth Competition and of other international competitions.