About Me
Biography
Education
Jef Kolacny (born 2003) first sat down at the piano at the age of five. What started as a weekly hobby soon grew into a true passion when, at the age of sixteen, he began studying with Jan Vermeulen.
After five years under Vermeulen’s guidance, Jef continued his studies with Julien Libeer, his current teacher. He also regularly takes lessons with Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort and Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri. His teachers have been invaluable throughout his training, and Jef is deeply grateful to them.
©VRT, Radio Klara
A passion for the piano
One of the highlights was winning the prestigious Cantabile Piano Competition in 2022, where he was also awarded the prize for the best performance of the contemporary compulsory work. That same year, he became a laureate-finalist of the Steinway Piano Competition Belgium at the Henry Le Boeuf Hall in Bozar.
In 2023, Jef made his debut as a soloist with Franz Liszt’s Second Piano Concerto under the direction of Wouter Lenaerts. He also had the honour of performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with the Mahler Student Festival Orchestra under the baton of Lars Corijn. As a solo musician, Jef has performed in venues such as Bozar, Concertgebouw Brugge, De Singel and AMUZ.
Since 2025, Jef has been affiliated with the Bell’Arte International Music Academy (ICPA) under the direction of Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri. This appointment enables him to share his passion on stages in cities such as Berlin, Bratislava, Piacenza and Paris.
This year, Jef was selected by radio Klara as one of their ‘Twintigers’, a quality label that places young top talent in the spotlight for an entire year. Since then, his recordings of works by Bach, Liszt and Brahms have been regularly broadcast.
©Erchen Theys Photography
A great love for chamber music
Alongside his solo career, Jef has a deep love for chamber music. In 2021, he founded the Tinel Ensemble with five of his closest friends. Together, they give dozens of concerts each year in Belgium and the Netherlands, with a variety of programs.
Jef also forms regular duos with, among others, An-Sofie Perneel, Door Van Bergen, and Liesl Vanoverberghe. As a chamber musician, he has appeared at festivals such as the Iedereen Klassiek Festival by Radio Klara, Festival van Vlaanderen Gent, Meander Festival, and Chamberfest Semana Santa.
More recently, he contributed to the production Jukebox Klassiek with Clara Cleymans and Marcel Vanthilt. He is also deeply grateful to have shared the stage with musicians such as Thomas Blondelle, Taurus Quartet, Brecht Valckenaers, Sander Geerts, and Stijn Kolacny.
©Cindy Van Briel