- Piano
- String quartet
A talented representative of the French school, drawing on his highly varied musical experience (contemporary, fortepiano, orchestra conduction, chamber music, composing), Jean-Claude Pennetier's fullest form of expression is to be found in his solo piano and recital performances.
After graduating from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, he made his mark in the greatest of international competitions – First Prize Gabriel Fauré, Second Prize Marguerite Long, first distinction at the Geneva International Music Competition, First Prize at the Concours de Montréal – and thus began a dazzling and unique career.
"Breath-taking", "magnificent", "captivating" are all words that have been used to describe Jean-Claude Pennetier's performances as one of the greatest contemporary performers. He has performed with a host of names, from the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Staatskapelle in Dresden to the English Chamber Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the NHK in Tokyo, the Orchestre de la Radio in Lugano, the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine. He has also given guest performances at a series of high-profile events and venues: the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Salle Pleyel, the Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron, Lille Piano(s) Festival, Chopin à Bagatelle, the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, the George Enescu Festival, Seattle Festival, 'Nuits de Moscou', ‘’La Folle Journée’’ in Nantes, Tokyo, Bilbao and Warsaw. Jean-Claude Pennetier performs regularly in the States and Canada.
His Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Debussy albums produced by Lyrinx have met with the highest of accolades from the music media. His recent recordings include albums with Michel Portal and the Ysaÿe Quartet.
2009 saw the release of the first volume of his opus dedicated to solo piano by Gabriel Fauré. In 2013, Jean-Claude Pennetier recorded solo piano works and ‘’Via Crucis’’ by Liszt. All three of his albums have been awarded a Diapason d’Or and were produced by Mirare. The second volume of his Fauré opus was released in 2012, and 2015 saw the release of the third volume, again produced by the Mirare label.
He teaches at the Académie musicale de Villecroze in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2017.