Duo 46
The American violin and guitar ensemble Duo46 (a.k.a. guitarist Matt Gould and violinist Beth Ilana Schneider-Gould) have created their own repertoire that warrants standing ovations. Their intriguing mix of music depicts the impressions and experiences of modern-day classical composers, capturing an array of style and emotion, ranging from Classical to Flamenco, Gypsy to Turkish, Jazz to Rock, Folk to Bartok, and New Age to the most Avante-Garde. With literally hundreds of original twentieth-century works for violin and guitar duo, double concertos, trios with piano (aka the Strung Out Trio), and collaborations with guest artists, including computers, this photogenic pair captivate audiences with their new repertoire and artistry.
Career performance highlights include Austria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, and Turkey with notable appearances at The Guitar Foundation of America Festival (with Manuel Barrueco, David Tanenbaum and Paul Galbraith), Hermopoulis International Guitar Festival (Greece), the Cortona Chamber Music Festival (Italy), and Kennedy Center (USA). Recent highlights included appearances at the CSU Fresno New Music Festival, Birmingham Art Music Alliance, American Composer Forum, the Jewish Music Festivals of Berkeley and Washington D.C., and several concerts in Germany and Italy. Notable performances this season include debuts in Canada and South America, and a performance with The Great Noise Ensemble in Washington, D.C. of a Double Concerto and in Phoenix with Crossing 32nd Street for concerts celebrating the music of American composer James Tenney.
Recording…“Homage to the Fifties is a substantial contribution to the recording body of chamber music, including the guitar.” – Soundboard Magazine
As artists living in the 21st-century, Duo46 embraces music by living composers. Important advocates of contemporary art music, their recordings often celebrate new chamber music for guitar, most often composed specifically for them. Since the release of the group’s debut recording FMI: Homage to the 50s, their performance of new music has been described as “cutting edge” by the Cincinnati Enquirer and displaying “great energy and rhythmic control” by American Record Guide. Ongoing collaborations with American composers inspired their Untaming the Fury record. In commemoration of 9/11, this disc features commissions by emerging and established American composers who are contributing greatly to our national heritage. A track from this CD was recently included on a compilation recording with the music of Rachmaninoff, Faure, Bernstein and Corigliano. This disc, Communing with Music: Practicing the Art of Conscious Listening teaches the listener how to experience music with a new focus and intensity that will benefit the body, mind, heart and spirit.
“The pair flaunts their gift for the most spontaneous and fresh delivery from the outset…the works commissioned for the disc [Untaming the Fury] are so varied, inventive and enjoyable, and they are performed with such commitment and flair.”-Strad Magazine.
Their most recent duo recording, Aires de Sefarad, has been described as “one of the most gorgeous releases of the year” by the Cincinnati Enquirer and features 46 Spanish songs by Argentinean-American composer Jorge Liderman. The music was inspired by the composer’s visit to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain and the vibrant flamenco dancing and music of Seville, and reflects his impressions of past and present Spain in its vast and varied culture. This commissioned work, funded in part by the Guggenheim Foundation, made the 2007 Grammy entry list for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.
Beth Ilana, a native of Cincinnati, is a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Arizona. Her teachers have included Linda Cerone, Victor Danchenko, Eugene Gratovich, Mark Rush, Nelli Shkolnikova and Andreas Reiner. Matt Gould is a native of Baltimore, is a graduate of Peabody, University of Arizona and Arizona State. His teachers have been Manuel Barrueco, Ray Chester, Tom Patterson and Frank Koonce.