Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen are passionate advocates for the wide range
of four hands and two piano repertoire.
They began performing together in 2001 since when they have firmly established
themselves as one of the leading piano duo partnerships.
Their close collaboration stems from a shared teacher, the inspirational Irina
Zaritskaya, with whom they both studied at the Royal Colle ge of Music. Their
friendship dates from 1987 during a visit of students from the Gnessin School in
Moscow to the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey.
Charles & Katya have appeared in concerts together at many of the UK’s major
festivals – Cheltenham, Leicester, Ryedale, Music in Country Churches, Oxford
Chamber Music and Machynlleth. Their BBC Radio3 broadcasts include the
Brahms Haydn Variations from St George’s Bristol and Fauré for the BBC1 Andrew
Marr Show.
Internationally they have performed at the Moscow Conservatoire, the Elverum
Festival, Norway and in Mexico City playing the solo parts in the Mozart and
Poulenc Double concertos with the UNAM Orchestra conducted by Jan Latham
Koenig.
The duo released a highly acclaimed first recording for Quartz in 2016, featuring
Stravinsky’s two piano ballets, the Rite of Spring and Petrushka, with a dedication
to the memory of their teacher.
Together they are the Artistic Directors and founders of the London Piano Festival, which is held annually at Kings Place.

Free to all summer school participants. Tickets will be available through the Stoller Hall Website.