Charles Owen & Katya Apekisheva

One of the most highly-acclaimed piano duos performing today, Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva are passionate advocates for the wide range of four hands and two piano repertoire. In parallel with their extensive solo careers, they have been performing together around the world and across the UK since 2001. Their close collaboration stems from a shared teacher, the inspirational Irina Zaritskaya, with whom they both studied at the Royal College 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. The duo released a 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. Their second disc came out in January 2018 on Avie featuring music by Rachmaninov, recorded at Kings Place. Their latest release was an album of Poulenc, Debussy and Milhaud, released on Orchid Classics in 2023. Together, Charles and Katya are the Artistic Directors and founders of the London Piano Festival, which is held annually at Kings Place, and celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025.