Biography
Arx Duo works to broaden the body of percussion chamber music by securing and staging fresh compositions. The ensemble performs both as a duo and in partnership with musicians outside percussion traditions. Educational activities form part of its practice, including residencies at leading American music institutions. Recordings to date include Steven Mackey: Memoir (2024).
The group, styled arx duo without the definite article, was established in 2012 by Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney while both studied at the Yale University School of Music. They drew influence from the exploratory setting of the Yale Percussion Group under Robert van Sice. The name was chosen to reflect the members’ aim to "forge new connections and artistic pathways or 'arcs' within the genre" of percussion and thereby reach wider listeners. Commissions from the outset have gone to composers such as Alejandro Vinao, James Wood, and Ted Hearne. Performances have taken place in Japan and Africa as well as throughout the United States. Yoshinaga and Arney have also appeared with the Dover, Aeolus, and Bergamot String Quartets, Amy Yang, and Henry Kramer.
Shortly before the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, arx duo gave its first concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, presenting Dominic Murcott’s Harmonic Canon. Although the scheduled Carnegie Hall debut for April 2020 was cancelled, the pair stayed active during the pandemic by commissioning further works and producing videos. The debut album Ambient Resonances appeared on the Origin Classical label, followed a year later by Steven Mackey: Memoir on the Bridge label. Residencies have been held at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and at Michigan State University. The artists also serve on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Summer Program and have conducted master classes in the United States and Japan.
The group, styled arx duo without the definite article, was established in 2012 by Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney while both studied at the Yale University School of Music. They drew influence from the exploratory setting of the Yale Percussion Group under Robert van Sice. The name was chosen to reflect the members’ aim to "forge new connections and artistic pathways or 'arcs' within the genre" of percussion and thereby reach wider listeners. Commissions from the outset have gone to composers such as Alejandro Vinao, James Wood, and Ted Hearne. Performances have taken place in Japan and Africa as well as throughout the United States. Yoshinaga and Arney have also appeared with the Dover, Aeolus, and Bergamot String Quartets, Amy Yang, and Henry Kramer.
Shortly before the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, arx duo gave its first concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, presenting Dominic Murcott’s Harmonic Canon. Although the scheduled Carnegie Hall debut for April 2020 was cancelled, the pair stayed active during the pandemic by commissioning further works and producing videos. The debut album Ambient Resonances appeared on the Origin Classical label, followed a year later by Steven Mackey: Memoir on the Bridge label. Residencies have been held at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and at Michigan State University. The artists also serve on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Summer Program and have conducted master classes in the United States and Japan.
Albums
Singles