Unison Piano Duo Performance and Master Class
2:00 PM performance (repertoire features works by J.C. Bach, Dave Brubeck, and Witold Lutoslawski)
3:00 PM Piano Master Class Link for live-stream: https://macphail.zoom.us/j/96960417079?pwd=eUsrWVFNMkhFTE1LSnM1U2VzOVZLdz09
Unison Piano Duo
Luther College piano faculty members Xiao Hu and Du Huang perform widely as the Unison Piano Duo. Their heartfelt and exquisite performances have earned praises from critics and audiences around the world. The New York Concert Review wrote “…fleet and sparkling…unusually high level of ensemble playing.” Wuhan Morning Post in China: “Best piano duo concert heard in years!” The famous piano duet team Weekley & Arganbright gave the following endorsement: “The Unison Piano Duo displayed extraordinary musical sensitivity to the contrasting styles of composers, clean and strong technique, and both warmth and excitement. They will bring great pleasure and inspiration to audiences everywhere.”
Du Huang and Xiao Hu have performed in concert halls in Europe, Asia, and America, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York City, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Grosser Saal of Konzerthaus and the Brahms Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot in Paris, Shanghai Music Hall, and Beijing Music Hall. The duo has performed numerous concerts in the Czech Republic as part of the Vysočina Music Festival and the South Bohemia Music Festival. They have also toured the Brazil, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and many cities in China. Committed to be engaged in music of our times, the duo premiered and commissioned many new works for the piano duo medium. Unison Piano Duo has issued recordings on Innova and MSR Classics labels in the United States, and on Yangtze River label in China. Their performances have been broadcast by National Public Radio’s Performance Today, Minnesota Public Radio, and Iowa Public Television.
Du Huang and Xiao Hu were trained from an early age at Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s Elementary and Middle Schools in China, later earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, studying with pianist Eugene Pridonoff. They received the Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook under the tutelage of pianist Gilbert Kalish. They are both tenured piano professors at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where they have served as faculty members since 2001. They hold guest professorships at Wuhan Conservatory of Music in their native country of China, and have served as piano faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan.