Jan Pas was born in 1962 in Zele, Belgium, and began cello lessons at the age of 7. His first television performance was as an 11-year-old, playing “Le Cygne” by Saint-Saens. He continued studies at the Conservatory in Ghent (A. Messens), Brussels (E. Carlier) and later in Detmold (I.Gudel). In 1981, as the winner of Belgian Radio and Television’s ‘Tenuto’ competition, he made a recording for television playing the Lalo cello concerto. In 1981 he was the youngest cello soloist at the Opera du Theatre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels.

As a member of the European Youth Orchestra he played und the direction of Claudio Abbado and Herbert von Karajan. In 1985 he was appointed to the opera in Mannheim. From 1988 on he works at the Staatsoper Stuttgart, and since 1995 he is invited to play at the Bayreuth Festival. He has recorded several CDs of chamber music, as well as the cello concerto by F. Gulda. He plays an instrument from 1760 made by Tomasso Balestrieri.