Paul Pankert studied violin in Liège, Düsseldorf and Maastricht.
As a member of several chamber music groups, in particular the Ensemble ’88 in Maastricht, he gives numerous concerts throughout Europe.
His experimental approach to new tonal systems led to his first composition Spaltung, which won the 2008 composition competition of the L’Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique. Since then, alongside his work as a violinist and teacher, he has increasingly devoted himself to composing and has written numerous works, including commissions for Ensemble Nahandove, Orgelpark Amsterdam, the Brussels Ars Musica Festival, Quatuor MP4, Ensemble Sturm und Klang, the Festival van Vlaanderen (B-Classic), the East Belgium Festival and Flagey in Brussels. In 2017, he received the “Artist of East Belgium” award for three years.
He teaches at the Music Academy of the German-speaking Community of Belgium and is Artistic Director of the Maastricht contemporary music ensemble “Ensemble 88”. He is co-founder of the East Belgian “Kl-Ex Ensemble” and recently released his second CD “connected” on the etcetera-records label.
The “Toccata” for harpsichord and live electronics was awarded the 2021 Prix Annelie de Man composition prize.