BIOGRAPHY

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Named one of the “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” by CBC Music in 2020, it was said of pianist Jean-Luc Therrien that he “[…] was able to stand out through his frank playing, […] not hesitating to go off the beaten track to reveal to us his personal reading of certain passages. A very refreshing performance. » (La Scena Musicale)

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With his playing always resolute, committed and sincere, the native of Repentigny in Quebec has for several years led an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist and educator throughout the world. Among other collaborations, he has shared the stage with notable musicians and ensembles including cellist Colin Carr, cellist Zlatomir Fung, The Happenstancers and the Claudel-Canimex Quartet. In February 2022, he was a soloist with the Royal Conservatory of Music Orchestra at Koerner Hall (Toronto) under the baton of conductor Tania Miller. In recent months, he embarked on a 5-week pan-European tour with violinist Jean-Samuel Bez. And in 2025, he will tour the Maritime Provinces with cellist Daniel Hamin Go before playing a series of 4-hand piano concerts in Ontario with Filipino-American pianist Tristan Savella.

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As a soloist, Jean-Luc collaborated with Jeunesses Musicales Canada (2016) and Debut Atlantic (2022) for solo tours in Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. He has also appeared at various festivals and concert series such as the Bach Festival (Montreal), Britten Pears Arts (United Kingdom) and Orford on the Road (Quebec). More recently, he also did his debut on national radio with the broadcast on CBC Music of a recital recorded in Toronto.
 

Some recent achievements include his Outstanding Performance Award in the 2024 NTD International Piano Competition finals in New York City, as well as his participation in the prestigious career development program, The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto).

 

Finalist and prizewinner of several competitions including the Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize in Italy, the Canadian Music Competition Stepping Stone and the Luigi Zanuccoli International Competition in Italy, Jean-Luc Therrien has stood out in many other notable competitions such as such as the Sendai International Piano Competition in Japan, the Lyon International Piano Competition, the Roma International Piano Competition, the Prix d'Europe Competition, the OSM Standard Life Competition, etc.

 

Jean-Luc has two albums to his credit. These, released on the Orpheus Classical and Klarthe labels, received positive reviews from several Canadian and European cultural media. They are available for listening on most online music platforms or in video format on his YouTube channel (Jean-Luc Therrien, pianist).

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After the release of his solo album Piano Preludes, included in the list of the 21 best Canadian classical albums of 2021, CBC Music producer Robert Rowat wrote: ''[…] To round out the album, he plays his own solo piano arrangement of Franz Liszt's orchestral poem Les Préludes and it's a tour de force.''

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Then in 2022, the Luxembourg music magazine Pizzicato published an article on his CD Fantaisies, the latter in duet with French violinist Jean-Samuel Bez: “They present the program with very fine technique and yet eloquent expression. […] The two musicians give nuanced expression to the shadings in the works as well as the stylistic differences between the pieces. They also present themselves as a well-coordinated team, considerately involving the other in the give and take.''

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Jean-Luc starts learning the piano at the age of 6. At the age of 7, he gives his first recitals and begins to win regional competitions. After his studies at the Trois-Rivières Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Denise Trudel, he obtains a Master's degree in arts (with highest distinction) from the Mozarteum University of Salzburg (Austria) in the studio of Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch. Subsequently, thanks to significant funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, he remains in Europe for a post-university artistic residency and various musical projects. Later, he returns to Canada and joins the Ihnatowycz Piano Program at the Glenn Gould School (Toronto) to complete the Artist Diploma Program with the late esteemed pedagogue, Marietta Orlov.

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In addition to music, some of Jean-Luc’s interests include interior design and architecture. He compares the work of a musician to that of an architect, both using some of the same skills to design and structure a work. “With music, I can spend hours and hours working on a piece and deciding what aesthetics, colors, sounds and emotions I want to express with it,” he says. “Music is the best way to express myself. And classical music is the music that has always touched me the most; I want people to know that, yes, it's still relevant today. »