ABOUT THE DUO
Founded in 2008, Duo Harmonia (formerly the Başgöze-Pinto Piano Duo) have been performing regularly in and around the state of Minnesota, USA. They have frequently been invited to perform in concert series such as the MacPhail Center for Music Spotlight Series (Minneapolis, MN), Schubert Club Court Room Series (St. Paul, MN), Thursday Musical Artist Series (Twin Cities, MN), and Central Michigan University School of Music Alumni Concert Series (Mt. Pleasant, MI). Recipients of a MacPhail Artist Development Grant – funded by The McKnight Foundation – Duo Harmonia recorded their first CD, Harmonia, in 2018.
Pınar Başgöze, a native of Ankara, Turkey, received her B. A. and M. A. degrees in piano performance under the guidance of Professor Banu Perk at Hacettepe University Ankara State Conservatory in Turkey; further studies include performance practices with Professor Dr. Erfüz Edgüer in Ankara, piano pedagogy and performance with Maria Curcio in London and piano performance with Dr. Paul Shaw at the University of Minnesota School of Music.
A native of Lisbon, Portugal, Susana Pinto received her B. A. in piano performance from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa under the tutelage of Tania Achot and Pedro Burmester. Her M. A. in piano performance and pedagogy is from Central Michigan University with Alexandra Mascolo-David.
Both Pınar and Susana are full time piano faculty members at MacPhail Center for Music, skillfully managing lives filled with performing, teaching piano, and raising their families.
Their ensemble is rooted in a mutual passion to connect musical traditions from different countries in order to enrich their audiences' understanding of cultural musics. The unique voice of this duo unequivocally and unapologetically declares that cultural differences should neither segregate nor discriminate, but only draw people together.
