Biography

“superb musicians” WholeNote
“exceptional warmth and intimacy” Ottawa Citizen
“artistry, poetry, and impeccable technique” La Scena Musicale


Known for the passion, subtlety, and brilliance of their performances, Duo Concertante have worked together since 1997, developing the exceptionally unified voice that has repeatedly impressed audiences worldwide. Nancy Dahn, violin, and Timothy Steeves, piano— “two packages of musical dynamite” (Halifax Chronicle-Herald)—have received the Touring Performers Award (Contact East) as well as Memorial University’s prestigious President’s Award for Outstanding Research, and were named NLAC Artist of the Year in May 2010.

Of five acclaimed recordings, the most recent, Wild Bird (Centrediscs, 2010), comprises works written especially for the duo by Canadian composers Murray Schafer, Chan Ka Nin, and Kati Agócs, and includes Schafer’s Duo for Violin and Piano which won the 2011 Juno Award in the Classical Composition of the Year category. Duo’s Concertante’s 2009 recording It Takes Two features encore pieces arranged by Canadian composer Clifford Crawley and was described as “spectacular” (American Record Guide). The first three CDs—À Deux, Of Heart and Homeland, and Wild Honey—all received nominations for Best Classical Recording at the East Coast Music Awards. Also released recently was their classical music video, “Tico Tico" which has been airing on CTV2. The Duo is currently recording the complete Beethoven Sonatas, to be released as a three CD set in late 2012.

Duo Concertante have consistently revealed their passion for new music, commissioning a total of seventeen new works for violin and piano from many of Canada’s leading composers, such as Chan Ka Nin, Andrew Staniland, Kati Agócs, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Alice Ho, Omar Daniel, Clark Ross, Andrew MacDonald, Rob Teehan, David Scott, Linda Bouchard, and Jean Lesage. Wild Honey (2005) and Wild Bird (2010) consist almost entirely of new Canadian works written for the duo; world premières of works by Denis Gougeon and Jocelyn Morlock are scheduled for 2012-2013.

Duo Concertante maintain a busy touring schedule, with frequent performances across North America, as well as in Europe and China. They have appeared at Wigmore Hall (London), Trinity Church (New York City), Old First Church (San Francisco), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), Roy Thomson Hall and the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), and the Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur (Montreal). They perform at music festivals throughout North America, including the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Cactus Pear Music Festival, Indian River Festival, Colours of Music Festival, and the Huntsville Festival, and have served as artists-in-residence at the Guelph Spring Festival, the Glenn Gould Professional School in Toronto, and Bishop’s University.

Based at Memorial University in St. John’s, Dahn and Steeves are energetic, experienced teachers who have given hundreds of master classes and workshops across Canada, in the US, and in China. Their commitment to working with young musicians gave rise to the annual Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival, which they founded in 2000 to bring together young chamber music performers with world-class artists and ensembles for an intensive two weeks of learning and performance. As Artistic Directors of the Festival, they continue to present and collaborate with international artists such as the Shanghai Quartet, the Lafayette String Quartet, André Laplante, the Borromeo String Quartet, the Miro Quartet, Suzie Leblanc, and Louis Lortie.

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