G - Sharp Duo

(Photo: Joe Patrych)

G-Sharp Duo

Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Yelena Grinberg, piano

Founded in 2003, the G-Sharp Duo is a dynamic ensemble established by violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron and pianist Yelena Grinberg when both were students in the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard (BCJ) dual degree program. Over the past six years, they have garnered enthusiastic praise from New York's classical music scene for their highly expressive and insightful performances.

Infusing their interpretations with a keen musical intellect, Ms. Gendron and Ms. Grinberg are committed to presenting not only the hallmarks of the violin-piano literature, but also non-standard and contemporary works. Notably, they gave the world premiere of Hiroya Miura's "Moon Petals" (2005), a composition dedicated to the duo and written in memory of composer and music theorist Jonathan Kramer. The duo's acclaimed first performance of this work at Miller Theatre was recently broadcast over New York Public Radio's arts program Ear to Ear hosted by David Garland. In Spring 2009, they had also presented a US premiere of Philip Lasser’s “Chaconne Variations” (2007).

Prizing dual commitment to intellectual and musical exchange, Ms. Gendron and Ms. Grinberg have been frequently invited to give joint lecture-performances, exploring various musical and aesthetic aspects of the sonata-duo repertoire at the Juilliard School, New York University, and Columbia University. For the upcoming 200^th anniversary of Schumann’s birthday in 2010, the G-Sharp Duo plans to release the complete album of Schumann’s three violin-piano sonatas.

The G-Sharp Duo won First Prize in the duo category of the 2006 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition, sponsored by the Chamber Music Foundation of New England. For the summer of 2008 they were awarded a performing residency at the renowned Banff Centre in Canada, where they worked closely with such artists as Philip Setzer, Mark Steinberg, Barry Shiffman, and Denis Brott.

In addition to having presented their NY debut recital at the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall in Spring 2008, the duo's active engagements have included performances at Miller Theatre, Brooklyn Bargemusic, Steinway Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Bates College Concert Series, the Harvard Club of New York, Tenri Cultural Institute of New York, Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, and the chamber music series at St. Paul Church in Brookline, Massachusetts. This season marks a return to several of these venues, in addition to a special performance in celebration of Mendelssohn’s 200^th Anniversary in Fall 2009 at the Klavierhaus in New York.

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HIRING G-SHARP DUO ~

NOTE: G-Sharp Duo can be readily contacted for private events, such as banquets, parties, receptions, weddings, corporate gatherings, and more, at gsharpduo@gmail.com