CHAMBER CONCERT

DUO TURGEON – The year 2018 marks the 25^th anniversary for Duo Turgeon and 27^th wedding anniversary for Canadian pianists Anne Louise-Turgeon and Edward Turgeon. After completing their doctoral degrees in solo piano performance at the Yale University School of Music, their duo piano collaboration began with encouragement from James Anagnoson (Dean; Glenn Gould School, Toronto) and the late Karl Ulrich Schnabel, who, upon hearing the Turgeons, invited them for masterclasses and subsequent private coachings in New York City. The Turgeons received additional mentoring from Peter Serkin, Richard and John Contiguglia.

  Duo Turgeon won first prize in the International Schubert Competition for piano duos (Czech Republic, 1995) and Murray Dranoff international Two Piano Competition (Miami, 1997), as well as additional special prizes at both events. These successes led to debut performances at Carnegie Hall and the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, as well as hundreds of engagements including such series as San Francisco International Music Festival, Montreal International Duo Piano Festival, Duettissimo (Minsk), Brit Festival, Kitchener/Waterloo Chamber Music Festival, Sanibel Music Festival, Internationalisches Pianisten Forum in Rostock, Chopin Festival of Middle America, Festival of the Sound, Washington International Piano Festival, Chicago Duo Piano Festival, Music Toronto, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Isabel Bader Centre, INternationaishces Pianisten Forum Rostock (Germany), Georgian Concerts, Massey Hall, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory (Singapore), Fulbright sponsored visits to Europe, several tours of Russia, and several recordings including those for Marquis/EMI, Albany and Vanguard Classics, several of which have received 5 out of 5 star ratings from CBC’s “Sound Advice” and “La Scena Musicale”. The Turgeons have been heard on classical radio stations throughout the world including CBC, BBC, ABC (Australia), Public Radio International, NPR, and PBS. They are featured in the television documentary “Two Pianos – One Passion”, which airs on PBS affiliate television stations throughout North America. Strong advocates of new chamber music for four hands at one or two pianos, they have given world premiere performances of works by noted composers including Aaron Copland, John Corigliano, Libby Larsen, Manuel Valera, Derek Charke and Alex Pauk, while appearing with the Esprit Orchestra (Toronto), and orchestras in Brno, Sault Ste. Marie, Austin, Rockford, Scarborough, Novosibirsk, Minsk, Kranoyarsk and Miami with the New World Symphony Orchestra.

  As teachers, their unwavering commitment to the next generation of young musicians has included over twenty-five years of teaching at Yale University, Mount Holyoke College, the Harid Conservatory of Music and Florida Atlantic University. They currently serve as Artists in Residence and faculty members at Algoma University and the Algoma Conservatory of Music in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where Edward serves as Chair of the Visual Art and Music Department and Anne serves as keyboard and composition faculty member at both institutions. The Turgeons have served as senior mentor examiners for the Royal Conservatory of Music.  Their students have earned prizes in competitions, national high grades on Royal Conservatory of Music examinations and admittance to schools such as Indiana University, Eastman, Juilliard, University of Miami, University of Louisiana, University of Arizona, University of Washington, UC Berkley and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. The Turgeons are increasingly in demand as judges for international, national and regional competitions including those in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, London, Winnipeg, Sudbury and Markham, national finals of the Canadian Music Competition and international competitions in USA and Europe.

 The Turgeons received Bachelor of Music degrees in piano performance from the University of Toronto along with the coveted Dean’s Prize and Forsyth Memorial Scholarship for top graduating pianist (Edward; 1988);  Dean’s prize and Eaton Graduate award for the top overall graduate (Anne; 1989). In Toronto, their teachers included Marietta Orlov and James Anagnoson. They earned Master of Music, Master of Musical Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Yale University, as well as prizes for best recital (Anne), best chamber group (Edward) and the Dean’s Award for top graduate (Anne; 1994), the school’s highest honor.  Their Yale professors included Donald Currier, Peter Frankl, Claude Frank,  Boris Berman and Joan Panetti. Additional summer studies at the Banff Centre for Music and Sound included masterclasses with Claude Frank, Jean-Paul Sevilla and Marek Jablonski.  The Turgeons have been members of Steinway and Sons International Artist Roster since 2005.