Jan Vayne (NL)

About

Dutch pianist Jan Vayne has built a career that bridges classical music and contemporary sounds in genuinely unexpected ways. His collaboration with trance DJ and producer Armin van Buuren on the album Classical Trancelations is probably the boldest example of that, blending orchestral textures with electronic production in a way that surprised plenty of people. He also performed at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC to mark President Clinton's second inauguration, which gives you a sense of the level he operates at. Vayne regularly performs alongside symphony orchestras, choirs, and ensembles, and in recent years has teamed up with organist and composer Martin Mans and singer Petra Berger. Several of his albums have gone platinum in the Netherlands, and his piano improvisations on pop music, including Queen tracks, helped earn him a wide audience back in the early nineties. His signature look, that unmistakable mane of hair, even landed him a memorable Dutch TV ad.