DUO J² - Jean-Samuel Bez and Jean-Luc Therrien

January 20, 2026
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

DUO J² - Jean-Samuel Bez and Jean-Luc Therrien

About The Artists

DUO J²

French violinist Jean-Samuel Bez and Canadian pianist Jean-Luc Therrien formed their Duo J² after meeting at the Orford Music Festival (Quebec) in 2016. Less than a year after, they were selected for several chamber music competitions - including the Swedish International Duo Competition - and won the First Absolute Prize in the Luigi Zanuccolli International Competition in Italy. Since then, they have been regularly touring in Europe and North America.

Bez and Therrien - who both studied in Austria's most prestigious universities in Vienna and Salzburg - have built a repertoire that focuses on virtuosic sonatas of the 19th and 20th century including sonatas by Georges Enescu, Francis Poulenc, Robert Schumann and César Franck. They have also enjoyed working on a variety of lighter pieces including Viennese classics by composers like Fritz Kreisler or lesser known pieces by Lili Boulanger, Gustave Samazeuilh and André Mathieu.
In 2022, the two musicians recorded their first CD during a residency at Le Delta in Namur (Belgium). The album, which includes a variety of Fantaisies for violin and piano, was officially released before a Pan-European Tour. It also includes a piece by the French-Armenian composer Eugénie Alécian, which they created in 2021 as part of the Festival international de musique de chambre en Poitou (France). More recently in 2024, they toured Europe once again during a 5-week tour across 12 countries during which they created other works commissioned to Belgian composer Alithéa Ripoll and Albanian composer Alexander Peçi. 

JEAN-SAMUEL BEZ

Primarily devoted to chamber music, violinist Jean-Samuel Bez performs more than 100 concerts per year throughout the world . He is particularly drawn to contemporary creation and enjoys venturing off the beaten path.

His discography includes Fantaisies (2022, Klarthe) with Jean-Luc Therrien, Étincelles (2025, Passavant) with Louise Akili, and Secrets (2025, Klarthe) as part of the Paganini in Paris project with Raphaël Béreau. A member of the Trio Spilliaert since 2016, he has recorded monographs dedicated to Désiré Pâque (2021, Cyprès) and Jacqueline Fontyn (2022, Cybele), as well as Augusta (2023) with the Sonic Gate collective. He also collaborates on stage and on record with the icelandic band Árstíðir. 

Artistic director of the SineMuro Festival and coordinator of the Sotiropoulos Camerata, he has received numerous prizes and international awards, including First Prize at the Luigi Zanuccoli International Competition (Italy, 2017). He studied with Igor Volochine, Pavel Vernikov, and Véronique Bogaerts before completing his training at the University of Music Vienna under Michael Frischenschlager.

 

JEAN-LUC THERRIEN

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)
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. As a soloist, he also collaborated with Jeunesses Musicales Canada (2016 + 2025) and Debut Atlantic (2022 + 2025) for concert tours in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces.
Finalist and prizewinner in several competitions including the NTD International Piano Competition in New York City, the Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize in Italy and the Canadian Music Competition Stepping Stone, 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 are available on most online music platforms. He also shares his recordings in video format on his YouTube channel (Jean-Luc Therrien, pianist).

Program

Robert Schumann - Fantasiestücke Op. 73

I.     Zart und mit Ausdruck  II.    Lebhaft, leicht  III.   Rasch und mit Feuer

Ludwig van Beethoven - Sonata for violin and piano in A minor, No. 4 Op. 23 

I. Presto   II. Andante scherzoso, più Allegretto    III. Allegro molto

Leoš Janáček - Sonata for violin and piano

I. Con moto   II. Ballada  III. Allegretto    IV. Adagio   

Antonín Dvořák - Slavische Fantasie

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Tickets to the event are offered without cost. Donations are invited. Charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $20. All donations go to support emerging artists and future programming at the Academy.