Our Teacher:
Yvonnick Prene
"Virtuoso harmonica player" Downbeat
“A rising Star” All About Jazz
"A passionate advocate of the instrument and a dedicated educator"
Hot House Jazz
“The most beautiful music I have ever heard on harmonica.” Lee Konitz
"When Prene plays the harmonica, it becomes a fully articulate vehicle for authentic emotional expression." JazzTimes Magazine
Diatonic & Chromatic Harmonica
Hohner Ambassador
M.A Music Performance
Yvonnick Prené is a singular voice in modern jazz, a chromatic harmonica virtuoso whose work as a performer, composer, bandleader, and educator has made him a fixture on the international jazz scene. Based in the New York City area, he is widely recognized as one of today’s most innovative harmonicists.
Prené has released six acclaimed albums as a leader, carving a path for the harmonica in modern jazz. His 2023 release Listen! on Sunnyside Records featured an all-star lineup including pianist Kevin Hays, drummer Bill Stewart, saxophonist Dayna Stephens, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and bassist Clovis Nicolas. His 2024 follow-up, Jobim’s World, a tribute to the timeless music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, found Prené in lyrical conversation with celebrated pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Most recently, Un Harmonica pour Django, recorded in Paris, brought him together with some of France’s top string players, including Biréli Lagrène, Adrien Moignard, Mathieu Chatelain, and Diego Imbert.
As a sought-after collaborator, Prené has performed or recorded with an impressive array of artists including Peter Bernstein, Rick Margitza, Steve Cardenas, Pasquale Grasso, Jon Cowherd, Rich Perry, Clovis Nicolas, Chiara Izzi, Lorin Cohen, Brian Charette, Jared Gold, Rick Germanson, Arthur Vint, Scott Tixier, Radam Schwartz, Andreas Arnold, Jeb Patton, Jerome Sabbagh, and Klingande, among others. He also appeared on national television performing with Blood Orange on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and has performed internationally at venues such as the Nescafé Theater in Santiago, Chile.
His international touring schedule has taken him to leading jazz festivals across the globe, from the Rochester International Jazz Festival and Winter Jazz Fest in New York to Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Festival Émoi du Jazz in Côte d’Ivoire, Lamentin Jazz Festival in Martinique, Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago, Jazz Sur Seine in Paris, El Primer Festival Internacional de Armónica in Santiago, Chile, the Gypsy Festival in New York City, and many more. In New York City, he has appeared as a leader and sideman at iconic venues such as Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland, Smalls, The Iridium, Zinc Bar, and The Django.
Beyond the stage, Prené is deeply committed to education. He is the founder of both the New York Harmonica School and My Harmonica Studio, institutions that have guided over 500 students in the art of harmonica playing. He has authored ten instructional books on jazz improvisation, blues, and etudes for harmonica, and has served on the faculty of Jazz House Kids, the New York Jazz Workshop, and Brooklyn Music School.
His artistry has also earned him a prominent endorsement as a Hohner Ambassador. The legendary German harmonica manufacturer selected Prené as the face of its new flagship 12-hole chromatic harmonica, the Xpression—an instrument designed with expressive jazz performance in mind.
Born and raised in Massy, in the southern suburbs of Paris, Prené studied classical music and jazz in France before moving to New York in 2007. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Music from the Sorbonne and earned a second Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. While in New York, he studied under jazz greats including Lee Konitz, Charli Persip, Charles Tolliver, and Reggie Workman.
With a rare blend of technical command, melodic sensitivity, and tireless creative curiosity, Yvonnick Prené continues to expand the voice of the harmonica in 21st-century jazz.
Other Testimonials From Our Harmonica Students...
I had made a short trip to New York and I arranged a lesson with Yvonnick (he was very responsive and flexible). The day before the lesson Yvonnick had also a gig with a quartet and I were there with my wife. It was impressive.
The one and half hour lesson was an eye opener in the bebop world. Yvonnick showed me the bebop scales, patterns and also some really helpful rhythmic exercises. The lesson motivated me to work on this topic. The next time I travel to NY I will schedule one or two lessons for sure’.
René, Zuerich Switzerland
“Yvonnick’s passion and creativity for music as a way to express yourself is really inspiring. I learned a lot of harmonica, but also much more: bits of music theory, and breathing exercises to help relax, and how to just feel the music – all helpful stuff. Yvonnick works with you at your level, even in a group setting, which is very helpful.”
Neal Sid, Manhattan
“Yvonnick is a great teacher. He is definitely knowledgeable – just listen to him play and check out his compositions and arrangements. His manner during the lessons is very relaxed, down-to-earth and friendly. The chromatic is an exceptionally difficult instrument to learn and he acknowledges this and is very supportive – but he’ll also light a fire under you if he thinks you’re not practicing enough (I need that!). The things I love most about Yvonnick are how genuinely positive he is and, as you get to know him, his work ethic is incredibly inspiring.”
Ed Watters, San Francisco
“Yvonnick is a very talented harmonica player who made me feel like I was playing the blues from our first lesson. His exercises made it fun to practice and the improvements were noticeable from the start.”
David Gyorki, Manhattan
“Yvonnick gives great Skype lessons. Anyone interested in playing jazz chromatic harmonica would surely benefit from Yvonnick’s tutelage. He is a masterful player and a patient and encouraging teacher.”
David Fearwether, Texas
“As an instructor, Yvonnick is very approachable and that helps me get over any anxiety about practicing with him during the lessons, especially when he is so skilled and I am not. I also appreciate his span of knowledge on the instrument; from jazz to blues or even blue grass. I can tell you I am much much better now after his instructions.”
Michael Burns, New Jersey
“Yvonnick ! I would like to thank you for the lessons you have given me over the last year. You are very inspiring. I have learnt many aspects of the art of harmonica playing from you. I would consider you to be one of the best harmonica tutors in New York at the present time. You have helped me get back on track and point me in the right direction. ”
Esther Kim, Manhattan
“Yvonnick’s course was fun, laid back and informative. I find that the lessons have a good structure to them and are easy to follow. The material for home study you provide has been a great help for practice sessions at home. An inspired class and instructor.”
Enrique Estrada, Brooklyn
“I started playing chromatic harmonica about 1 year ago, but never got anywhere and was kind of desperate about it until I met Yvonnick. I started with little knowledge of the harmonica and in a few months I was on the stage for the first time at Cleopatra Needle open stage with some fine jazz musicians. He is a talented teacher and has a passion for what he does”
Emmet Goldberg, Bronx
“Yvonnick is an amazing musician and provides me with inspiration. In a few weeks, I have already learned how to play Beatles’ songs and can play single notes on the harmonica. He is an excellent teacher!”
John Murray, Manhattan
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Astoria