Praised for her “rare talent for breathing life into the instrument” (Tunite Music), French pianist Jeanne Hourez is recognized for her versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, researcher, educator, and advocate for underrepresented voices in music. She is the runner up winner of the 2025 Programming Award of the International Alliance of Women in Music.
The 2026–2027 season will see the release of her first solo album, dedicated to the music of several French women composers, as well as an album of transcriptions of works by women composers for piccolo and piano, with flutist Julia Escobar. Upcoming engagements also include recitals and masterclasses in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Jeanne made her orchestral debut at the age of 12. She has performed with orchestras in France and Canada, under the baton of Wolfgang Doerner and Nicolas Ellis among others. Her career has taken her across Europe, North America, and Asia, and she has received prizes at several international competitions. She has released multiple collaborative albums, including a recording dedicated to composer Lazar Weiner with bass-baritone Mikhail Smigelski, as well as an album featuring Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.
A passionate chamber and contemporary musician, Jeanne enjoys exploring a wide range of chamber settings and frequently collaborates with emerging composers and artists. She co-founded Ensemble Benzaiten, an unusual formation dedicated to exploring the possibilities of mandolin and piano, and performs with violinist Katia Darisio as Duo Swann, which champions forgotten repertoire. She is also the pianist of SoundMap Ensemble, an Austin-based contemporary chamber orchestra exploring contemporary music with electronic components.
She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Anton Nel and conducted research on women composers of the Belle Époque. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Université de Montréal, and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Jeanne studied with Dang Thai Son, Frank Brakey, Stephen Kovacevich, Olivier Gardon, and Jacques Rouvier. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Gilmore Festival Fellowship, a professional development program through which she studied with pianist Gabriela Montero.
Jeanne has presented her research at numerous national and international festivals and conferences, including the College Music Society (CMS), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the Music by Women Festival, SHE: Festival of Women in Music, the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA), the Royal Conservatoire Birmingham (UK), and Sorbonne Paris 8. Alongside her performing and research activities, she is frequently invited to give masterclasses and adjudicate at regional and state competitions.
Since 2024, Dr. Hourez has been Assistant Professor of Music at Southwestern University in Texas, where she teaches piano and chamber music.