For over two decades, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have built an international career as artist and life partners in the ensemble Duo Concertante. Award-winning performers, champions of new music, visionary artistic directors, and inspiring mentors, Duo Concertante have forged a musical legacy and strive to provoke thought and engagement through their art. After their first concert in 1997, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald called Duo Concertante “two packages of musical dynamite that would credit any stage on the planet.” Since then, they have performed more than 700 concerts across North America, Europe, Central America and China in 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 and the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing).
Duo Concertante’s 14 acclaimed recordings include Beethoven Complete Sonatas for Violin and Piano, which was described by Gramophone as “a miracle of knowledge and poetry.” Preeminent critic John Terauds stated “…these beautiful interpretations are so good right down to the tiniest of details that they deserve to be called a reference in… contemporary performance.” Their other recordings include Incarnation, one of CBC Radio’s Top 10 Classical Recordings of 2017, and 2011’s JUNO-winning Wild Bird. 2025 sees the release of two additional albums: a recording of works by Schumann, Franck and Amanda Maier recorded in Scotland on the Delphian label, as well as Dark Tales Alice Ping Yee Ho, based on Newfoundland ghost stories and recorded on the PARMA label in the United States.
In addition to their dedication to the rich canon of standard repertoire, Nancy and Timothy have commissioned over 70 new works from Canada’s leading and emerging composers. Their devotion to “citizen artistry” synthesizes the performing arts with important issues, such as environmentalism and the climate emergency, seen in recent projects as Ecology of Being and Taking on Water.
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, they are also the founding Artistic Directors of the Tuckamore Festival, now a major attraction where for two weeks every summer, international artists and students gather for intense chamber music workshops, coachings and performances in beautiful St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
