The Canadian chamber ensemble Duo Concertante take their name from the inscription over Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata, “in stilo molto concertante,” which implies a relationship of two equal, dynamic voices. For over two decades, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have forged a musical legacy and strive to provoke thought and engagement as performers, mentors, champions of new music, and visionary artistic directors.
Duo Concertante have performed more than 750 concerts across North America, Europe, Central America and China, receiving accolades at home and abroad for “deeply integrated performances that flow naturally as if the music were being created on the spot” (Gramophone) filled with “grace and fire… fury and repose…a triumphant mass of non-stop energy “(WholeNote). The Strad recently praised their “lyrical generosity” and …”sense of constant improvisatory urgency, balanced by intimate vulnerability.”
Among their 15 acclaimed recordings are their 3-CD set Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Marquis) considered “beautiful…a reference in…contemporary performance” (Musical Toronto) and a “miracle of… knowledge and poetry” (Gramophone), which is broadcast regularly on CBC Radio 2. Duo Concertante’s other recordings include their two-disc set of J.S. Bach’s Sonatas for Violin and Keyboard, which received the first of three consecutive ECMAs for Classical Recording of the Year, followed by Incarnation in 2018 and Perfect Light in 2019. 2025 saw the release of Dark Tales (PARMA Recordings) and Maier/Franck/Schumann (Delphian), which The Strad praised as a “powerful, heart-on-sleeve performance” and won the 2026 ECMA Classical Release of the Year.
In addition to their dedication to the rich canon of standard repertoire, Nancy and Tim have commissioned over 75 works for violin and piano from composers in Canada and abroad. Their 2011 recording (Wild Bird, Marquis) of Murray Schafer’s Duo for Violin & Piano won the JUNO award for Classical Composition of the Year. Nancy and Timothy’s commitment to “citizen artistry” uses the performing arts to provoke thought around environmental issues in projects such as “Ecology of Being” “Taking on Water” and “What Life Throws at You”.
Duo Concertante regularly perform new Canadian works alongside standard repertoire in such prestigious venues as Wigmore Hall (London), Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall (New York City), Shanghai City Theatre, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Roy Thomson Hall, Koerner Hall, and the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), bringing international attention to Canadian composers and their works.
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, they are also the founding Artistic Directors of the Tuckamore Festival—which, since 2001, has brought 180 world renowned guest artists to NL, mentored more than 500 young musicians and composers from 15 countries, and produced over 600 performances and events.
Duo Concertante Events
