Jean Muller (born 11 December 1979) is a Luxembourgian classical pianist. He has received several international awards, performed worldwide, and made several recordings.[1]
Jean Muller was born in Luxembourg City, the son of Gary Muller, a piano teacher. He was only six when he had his first piano lessons at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg. At 15, he spent a semester with Teofils Bikis in Riga, Latvia, before continuing his studies in Brussels, Paris, and Munich, with Gerhard Oppitz and Michael Schäfer, among others. He also received guidance from Anne Queffélec, Leon Fleisher, Janos Starker and Fou Ts'ong.[2]
Muller has performed widely across Europe and beyond both in concert halls and at music festivals. In addition to solo performances, he frequently plays with the Bavarian State Orchestra, the Münchner Symphoniker and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked with many renowned conductors including Frédéric Chaslin, Zubin Mehta and Bramwell Tovey. He has performed all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas in concert.[3]
In 1999 at Bratislava, Muller was a laureate of the Tribune Internationale des Jeunes Interprètes, organized by the European Broadcasting Union on behalf of UNESCO.[4]
In 2004, he received the first prize at three French piano competitions in Arcachon, Vanves (Jean Françaix) and Brive (Francis Poulenc).[5]
In 2007, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg elevated Jean Muller to the rank of Knight of the Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolph of Nassau in gratitude for his performances during official state visits.[6]
Muller's Chopin Recital album was given Gramophones Critic Choice award. Critic Bryce Morrison stated, "Backed by a savage technical voltage, he lifts you far above studio conditions or the polished if politely impersonal expertise too familiar from the competition circuit." The president of the Concours Poulenc jury, Jean-Claude Pennetier, said, "Everything is there: fingers, head and heart." Muller's recordings have also earned excellent reviews in the specialized press such as International Piano, BBC Music Magazine, Fono Forum, Classica, Diapason, Pizzicato, etc.[7]