Eric and Maëlle Dannenmüller, Pianists and Educators
We play for our own pleasure and for the enjoyment of our audience during our solo and duo performances. Just as in our piano lessons, we use technique to serve sensitivity and share our personal experiences. Musical education is our passion.
Eric, Performer and Composer
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a pianist while listening to Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninoff... I was lucky enough to have a neighbor who was an amateur musician and part-time jazz pianist, and I owe my first six years of piano lessons to him. After that, a “real” teacher at the local music school introduced me to the joy of performing in recitals! At sixteen, however, I had to give up the Conservatory due to my weak music theory skills.
I continued practicing on my own and began composing. During a trip to Africa, caught in a sandstorm, I promised myself I would do whatever it took to become a pianist. Upon my return, I went knocking on the doors of every conservatory in Paris due to my “advanced” age of twenty-five. Carmen Taccon finally took me in: “You have talent, but why are you fighting with your piano?” This great teacher put me through rigorous tests before accepting me into her class. I was an atypical student among the young talents at the Conservatory, and my rehearsal partner was the sister of another of her students, the renowned pianist Alexandre Tharaud.
Six years later, I won the First Prize of the Paris Inter-Conservatory Competition. I was 31 years old. Madame Taccon had made me a pianist. Today, I share what I’ve learned through concerts and piano lessons.
Maëlle, Musician through and through
I fought with the piano for a long time. I was twenty when the physical pain began, even though I was passionate! I had chosen the instrument at age seven, after two years of introductory music. By the time I was ten, I was listening to Chopin's études on repeat. At fifteen, I started teaching neighbors. After earning my diploma in music studies and a master’s in musicology from Paris-Sorbonne University, I worked on my technique for six more years with the renowned teacher Nadine Wright. Still, the pain persisted.
To overcome it and teach my students proper posture, I trained with Marc Papillon, a musician and physiotherapist, for a year in both the physical and mental preparation of musicians and the prevention of injuries. I also learned to connect body and mind with Michel Raji, Yumma Mudra, and the artists of the Danza Duende International Network. Today, whether with my students or in front of an audience, I’m fully dedicated to the precision of movement and presence in every moment.
As an artist, Eric’s compositions resonate deeply with me. I also love playing four-hand pieces by Mozart, Brahms, Dvorak, Piazzolla, Liszt, Rachmaninoff… and talking music with the audience, to share the joy over and over again!