About

Pieter-Jan De Smet is a Belgian cellist recognized as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation.

 

He is a core member of the award-winning Ryelandt Trio and Desguin Kwartet, with whom he has released several critically acclaimed albums on the Etcetera Records label. Pieter-Jan frequently appears on major radio networks such as Klara, BRF, Musiq3, and France Musique. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated closely with renowned ensembles and artists, including the Zemlinsky Quartet, Fred Hersch Trio, Goeyvaerts String Trio, Rembrandt Frerichs Trio, Sabine Meyer, Markus Stockhausen, Benjamin Glorieux, and Thomas Blondelle. Since 2021, he has regularly performed with Le Concert Olympique under the direction of Jan Caeyers.​

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Pieter-Jan has appeared on major stages across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, from the Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Barbican Hall London, and La Monnaie in Brussels to the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Guangzhou Opera House, Filarmonica Trento, and Felicia Blumental Concert Hall in Tel Aviv. He has been featured at leading festivals including Klarafestival, Festival van Vlaanderen, Jazz Middelheim, Musica Antiqua Bruges, Leuven Jazz, Musikcollagen Darmstadt and the String Quartetbiënnale Amsterdam, among others. In 2024, he co-founded the festival ACHTDUUST alongside the Ryelandt Trio, creating a fresh platform for innovative chamber music.

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He has distinguished himself in numerous international competitions, winning top prizes at the Belfius Competition, SUPERNOVA Chamber Music Competition, Concours International Léopold Bellan, France International Music Competition, and Buchet International Cello Competition (laureate). He was honored with the 'Young Promising Talent' award of Sint-Niklaas and the 2022 Fuga Trophy from the Union of Belgian Composers for his dedication to Belgian repertoire.

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Pieter-Jan began his cello studies under Pieter Stas at the Music Academy of Bornem and continued at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp with France Springuel. He further refined his craft with Anssi Karttunen at the École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot and Ursula Smith at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. He has participated in masterclasses with celebrated cellists including Gautier Capuçon, Daniël Müller-Schott, Claudio Bohorquez, Gustav Rivinius, Gavriël Lipkind, Xenia Jankovic, Jérome Pernoo, Roel Dieltiens, and Pavel Gomziakov.

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Currently, Pieter-Jan teaches cello and chamber music at the Music Academies of Leuven & Brugge, and since 2023, he has been a member of the strings faculty at Kunsthumaniora Brussel. He has been invited to lead masterclasses in Belgium and abroad, with a recent engagement at South China Normal University. He performs on the ‘Papillon’ cello by Stijn van Aerschot, which he discovered at the 2022 Cello Biennale in Amsterdam.

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