Duo Vershinina/Lee

Musical partnership duo Yulia Vershinina and Chiahu Lee.

Yulia and Chiahu met during their studies at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and their enduring friendship has set the ground for an exciting musical partnership. The Duo Vershinina/Lee debuted with Rheinberger’s arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for two pianos. They performed this opus in various concert halls in the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, including the Philharmonie in 2019, cementing their mutual fascination with Bach’s music.

The idea of ‘variation’ has since been a red thread throughout their projects and led both women to constantly seek inspiration outside the conventional repertoire for two pianos. In fact, the duo has made it their aspiration to spread the word about lesser-known compositions and even write and arrange their own music.

In their recent Actart Concert at Luxembourg Conservatoire, Yulia and Chiahu focused on works composed in the last 20 years by contemporary women composers. Their debut album ‘(ré)inventions à deux pianos’ was released with Divine Art in March 2024, with the generous support of fonds stART-up. It featured in Qobuz Grand Selection and received glowing reviews in the BBC Music Magazine and on BBC Radio 3.