MUSIC

Guitar Houston is pleased to announce its 2009/2010 season featuring a stellar roster of guitar talent from across the globe. Our season concludes with Duo Melis 3/13/10. A husband and wife duo of Greek and Spanish heritage formed in 1999, they have won four first prizes in prestigious ensemble competitions. Their performances and recordings have been compared to the legendary guitar duo of Presti and Lagoya.

Sometimes compared to the Presti & Lagoya duo, Duo Melis is known for their beautiful concert playing. Spanish guitarist, Susana Prieto, and Greek guitarist, Alexis Muzurakis, made their debut as the Duo Melis in 1999 at the International Guitar Festival of Volos (Greece).

Since then they have performed in such prestigious halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Megaron in Athens and Merkin Concert Hall in New York. They have been invited to play concerts and give master classes at international guitar festivals in Europe and America.

Since 2006 they have taught at the Conservatoire National de Region de Strasbourg in France.

Susana and Alexis have won numerous prizes, both individually and as a duo. In 1999 they were awarded the first prize at the International Guitar Duo Competition of Frechen (Germany). The next year they won the prestigious Guitar Duo Competition of Montelimar (France) as well as the XXI International Guitar Duo Competition Mauro Giuliani (Italy). In 2001 they won the Duo/Ensemble prize at the Chamber Music Competition of Leipzig (Germany) and were winners at the International Guitar Duo Competition of Paris (France). In 2003 they recorded their first CD after winning the recording prize, Citta di Verona, at the International Chamber Music Competition, Gaetano Zinetti (Italy). In 2005 they successfully auditioned for the Yehudi Menuhin Society's Live Music Now.

Their repertory extends from the Baroque period to the music of Piazzolla and Ginastera. One of the areas of study to which they have devoted much time and research is 19th century performance practice. As a result, in addition to their modern concert guitars on which they regularly perform, they use period instruments when performing XIX century repertory. Complimenting their wide range of solo programs, Duo Melis performs concertos for two guitars and orchestra by J. Rodrigo and A. Vivaldi. They have collaborated with the Berliner Symphoniker, the Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie, the Radio Orchestra of Bucharest and the National Orchestra of Thessaloniki conducted by Leo Brouwer.

Susana Prieto's earliest guitar studies were in Spain, Alexis Muzurakis' in Greece. Later they pursued postgraduate studies as a duo and as soloists at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague (Holland), at the High Conservatory Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig (Germany) and at the High Conservatory Hanns Eisler in Berlin (Germany).