"Niekawa and DuWors create an art that goes beyond mere interpretation. The personality of the two musicians expands out with a creative attitude towards the world"

Sonograma Magazine

About duo526

duo526 was founded in 2011 by violinist Kerry DuWors and pianist Futaba Niekawa at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). Their mentors include Charles Castleman, Jean Barr, Henk Guittart, Roger Tapping, Lafayette String Quartet, Hardy Rittner, and Mark Steinberg. duo526 has performed across Canada, the U.S., Japan and has had artist residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

In 2016, duo526 launched their “Mozart in Public Spaces” project: video recordings for social media of the complete Mozart sonatas in conjunction with the “Play Me I’m Yours” street pianos installations all over the world. They have recently given performances at the"Experience Villa-Lobos" Festival at Virginia Commonwealth University, Oklahoma University, Indiana University, Brandon University, the Canadian Music Centre, the Regina Chamber Music Festival, the Dream Big Collaborative Conference, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

duo526 is dedicated to creative thought and the art of listening through the study and performance of a vast repertoire across an array of styles. Their joy of collaboration results from risk-taking, inspiration and spontaneous reactions. Their name was inspired by Mozart’s last Sonata for Violin and Piano K. 526, the first work presented to them for their equal virtuosic flair and refined musicianship. duo526’s 2014 debut album, Ballade, exemplifies this spirit through sonatas by Janáček, Enescu and Grieg. Their album DUO FANTASY featuring works by Villa-Lobos, Bax and Bolcom was released in 2019.

"The sheer musicianship, combined with flawless technique and imaginative programming, never fails to impress me" Classical Music Daily - Geoff Pearce

PIANO

Futaba Niekawa

Known for her verve and sensitivity, Japanese pianist Futaba Niekawa pushes the boundaries of her artistry as a soloist and collaborative pianist across genres and disciplines. She has performed throughout the United States, Canada, England, Spain, Taiwan, and Japan and to date has released five recordings (PARMA Recordings, Petrichor Records) and her live performances have been recorded for radio broadcast.

In demand as a collaborative pianist, Niekawa has performed with Atar Arad, James Campbell, Charles Castleman, and the members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has been engaged as a collaborative pianist at the Banff Centre, New England Conservatory, Meadowmount School of Music, and the IU Summer String Academy. Praised as “a beautifully balanced duo” by Gramophone Magazine, Niekawa’s long-term duo partnership with violinist Kerry DuWors, duo526, has led to numerous performances, recordings, and artist residencies at the Banff Centre and Avaloch Farm Music Institute. Niekawa’s passion for multi-disciplinary collaboration and performing music of her generation has developed into artistic partnerships with composers, dancers, poets, and visual artists. In her leisure time, she plays free-improvisation.

Niekawa is currently a Lecturer in Music (Chamber and Collaborative Music) at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. Her dedication to pedagogy, mentoring, and performance practice is shown through workshops at duo526’s annual Sonata Seminar, and invitations as a guest teacher at universities across North America.

www.futabaniekawa.com

VIOLIN

Kerry DuWors

With “exceptional intonation and a tangible empathy” (Gramophone Magazine), Canadian violinist Kerry DuWors is an acclaimed soloist and chamber musician. Described as having a “commanding combination of strength, sweetness and brightness” (WholeNote Magazine), she has performed across Canada, the United States, Japan, Central Asia, Europe, Mexico, and New Zealand. She recently toured Portugal, Armenia and Georgia with Juno-award-winning jazz pianist and composer David Braid. DuWors has won prestigious awards including Grand Prize at the 26th Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music Excellence, the Eaton Scholarship, two Canada Council for the Arts Career Development Grants and an Explore and Create Grant. She is a four-time laureate of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank.

Committed to pedagogy, mentorship, and collaboration, DuWors has been Associate Professor at Brandon University since 2003. She is in demand as an adjudicator and competition juror across Canada and is regularly invited as a guest teacher to give masterclasses internationally.

Recent projects include guest artist residencies at Indiana University and Sonata Seminar at Brandon University with duo526 piano partner Futaba Niekawa, Turkish-Classical Music project “Continuum” for Winnipeg’s Virtuosi Concert Series, Prairie Debut violin-piano recitals in Alberta and Saskatchewan with Katherine Dowling, Manitoba première of Luis Ramirez’s Immigration Suite, tours in The Netherlands, Ireland and Brazil, classical-electronic collaborations with violist Ryan Davis/Radia for GroundSwell, performances at the Dream Big Collaborative Conference and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and the launch of the “Vietnamese Roots” audio-visual research and performance project featuring music by Vietnamese composers Nguyen Văn Quy and Tôn-Thât Tiêt.