The Le Van Family Musicians are a family of vocalists, pianists, and violinists who perform in a variety of styles and genres of music. Originally from Alsace, France, they moved to America in 2003. Their performances are "a display of talented brilliance" (Broadway World): father Eric Le Van, classical pianist, and Eric's children: jazz chanteuse and violinist Sarah, opera singer and violinist Solène, and jazz pianist and singer Sean.
Classical pianist Eric Le Van has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, the Bayreuth Festival, and the International BeethovenFest in Bonn. A Princeton graduate, Sarah has performed at prestigious festivals such as the Curtis Institute and Aspen. Solène has graced the international stages of the Schubert Theater on Broadway, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth. Sean made his Carnegie Hall debut at 9, premiered as a jazz musician at the International Festival in Munster, France, and studies at Columbia University in NYC.
Eric Le Van (born June 14, 1964) is an American classical pianist particularly known for his interpretations of the music of Brahms and Scriabin. He is also an archivist of unusual repertoire. He has been a guest soloist and recitalist in major festivals and venues in the United States and Europe, including the Weimar Franz Liszt Festival, the Beethovenfest in Bonn, the Fetes Romantiques de Nohant Festival in France, the Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
Early on, he entered the class of Earle C. Voorhies, whose own professor was Alexander Siloti, one of Liszt's pupils and a cousin and teacher of Rachmaninov. After graduating from the University of Southern California, he moved to Europe in 1986 where he became a protégé of Rudolf Buchbinder at the Musik-Akademie in Basel, Switzerland. He also studied chamber music with Walter Levin, founder and first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet, and pianist Gérard Wyss. Later, he was a Fulbright scholar in the class of Karl-Heinz Kammerling at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover, Germany, and pursued doctoral studies at La Sorbonne in Paris.
In chamber music, his partners include Michaela Paetsch and Axel Strauss.
Sarah Le Van was born in Colmar, France, and moved to America at the age of seven, where she made her orchestral solo debut as a violinist with the La Mirada Symphony. Ten years later, she was accepted to Princeton University and graduated in 2018 Summa Cum Laude with a BA in French and certificates (minors) in Italian and Musical Performance (Violin). As a violinist, she is a 1st place winner of the Blanche Nissim Concerto Competition and a laureate of the American String Teacher's Association Competition. In 2016, she had been accepted through competitive admission to study Violin Performance at the Royal College of Music in London for a semester.
Sarah recently studied the violin with Eric Wyrick at Princeton University and has received coaching from Michaela Paetsch. As a vocalist, she has studied with Metropolitan Opera singers Cynthia Munzer and Kim Josephson and currently works with Barbara Rearick. She has also received coaching from Reed Woodhouse at Juilliard and has studied music theory with the Education For Gifted Youth Program at Stanford University and Professor Dmitri Tymoczko at Princeton.
Ms. Le Van’s multifaceted talent as a musician is also manifest in other creative endeavors. As an actress, Ms. Le Van has been performing on stage since 2002 and was awarded the Inland Theater League Award that year for “excellence in musical theater”. She has also appeared in several short films and television shows. Comfortable in both English and French, she is a member of L'Avant Scène troupe at Princeton University, where she has performed pieces by Feydeau, Moliere, and most notably, the role of Mara in Paul Claudel's L'annonce faite à Marie. She has also participated in director Florent Masse's productions of Feydeau's Une fille à la patte as La Baronne at the Princeton University Art Museum and Gennaro in Victor Hugo’s play Lucrece Borgia. She has participated in masterclasses with Pierre Niney, Louis Arene, and Lionel Lingelser. For movement coaching, she has danced for many years in the Nouveau Chamber Ballet Company under the artistic direction of choreographer Lois Ellen.
Born in Colmar, France, 25-year-old soprano Solène Le Van has been recognized as “nothing short of amazing” (Norman Lebrecht, SlippedDisc), a “peerless soloist” (Rafael de Acha, All About the Arts), and “an enrichment for every opera house" (Boris Anifantakis, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin).
Following an acclaimed debut in the role of Marie in La fille du régiment in Los Angeles with Opera Buffs, Le Van made European concert debuts at the Musikverein in Vienna and the Markgräfliches Opernhaus in Bayreuth, singing arias from Lucia di Lammermoor and La fille du régiment, ensembles from Rigoletto, and Act III of Tannhäuser as Elisabeth. Ms. Le Van’s other engagements with orchestras included gala concerts with the Johann Strauss Orchester Wiesbaden and the Virtuosi Brunensis Orchestra at the National Theater Brno (Czech Republic). As the Grand Prize Winner of the opera division in the Classicalia - Global Televised Music Competition, her performance in the finals was broadcast internationally on PBS.
Next season, Solène Le Van joins Opera Classica Europa in Germany to make her role debuts as Musetta in La bohème and Micaëla in Carmen. She will also feature in orchestra concerts at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Alte Oper Frankfurt. After joining the Györ Philharmonic as a guest soloist, she will sing French and Italian repertoire at the Wetzlarer Festspiele Rosengärtchen. In 2025, she will inaugurate the newly formed Opera Orchestra of San Francisco as Desdemona in Otello opposite Issachah Savage and Michael Chioldi.
Sean Le Van is a talented keyboard player and singer, who completes the Le Van Family Musicians. He has participated in various performances alongside his family and has won the Silver Medal at the American Association for the Development of the Gifted and Talented (AADGT) "Passion of Music" Competition.
The Le Van Family Musicians have performed as guest soloists of the Cypress Pops Orchestra and the Celeste Guild of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. They have appeared in various venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, Beverly Hilton (Los Angeles), La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, Steamers Jazz Club, the Irvine Israel Expo, Cox Auditorium (Illinois), MGM Grand (Las Vegas), Mission Viejo Cultural Arts series, and Livingston Community Concerts (Texas). They were also invited to perform in the 3rd International Vianden Music Festival and Academy in Luxembourg. Recently, they appeared in the Anaheim Performing Arts Center gala concert alongside legendary performer Debbie Reynolds. Noted musicians have shared the stage with them, such as Berisford "Shep" Shepherd, Michel Hausser, Mourad Benhammou, Michael Le Van, Llew Matthews, Ron Kobayashi, Bruce Lett, and Tim Pleasant.
"Eric Le Van’s pianism is mesmerizing. It has everything: sensitivity, expressive tone, shading, superb finish, and faultless taste and style." With those words, the American Record Guide’s David Mulbury echoed the sentiments of many of his colleagues who have likewise found in Eric Le Van a musician of exemplary depth and power.
Indeed, Bryce Morrison of Gramophone extolled him as "a brilliant pianist, youthful, ardent and communicative, magically fleet and affectionate." Sarah Le Van's remarkable talent in musical theater was recognized with the Inland Theater League Award for "excellence in musical theater".
Additionally, Solene Le Van was selected to participate in NBC's America's Got Talent, showcasing her exceptional abilities on a widely renowned platform. The Le Van family, including Eric, Sarah, Solene, and Sean, received recognition and were prominently featured in the esteemed French magazine Femme Actuelle. As musicians, they have been featured on the front page of the Orange County Register, and on another occassion, were under a section for the "best entertainment".
These accolades and acknowledgments are a testament to the outstanding musical abilities and captivating performances of Eric Le Van, Sarah Le Van, and Solene Le Van. Their talent, passion, and dedication have garnered praise from renowned critics such as Norman Lebrecht of SlippedDisc, who described Solene as "nothing short of amazing," while Rafael de Acha of All About the Arts hailed her as a "peerless soloist." Boris Anifantakis of Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin further affirmed that she is "an enrichment for every opera house."
The Le Van family's achievements and recognition in the music and performing arts world highlight their remarkable contributions and their ability to leave a lasting impression on audiences. Their talent and artistic endeavors have garnered widespread acclaim and admiration from both critics and the public alike.