"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