Programme
Claude Debussy Six épigraphes antiques, L. 131, CD. 139 (selections)
Ferruccio Busoni Finnländische Volksweisen, Op.27, BV 227
Gabriel Fauré Dolly Suite
Maurice Ravel La Valse
'Superb on all fronts.' Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine, July/Aug 2024
'Ivory Duo are Greek pianists Panayotis Archontides and Natalie Tsaldarakis and they brought with them an adventurous programme of four-handed piano. [...] And with that Bang, the musical year is well underway in these parts.' David Green, Music in Portsmouth 1/2023
'The Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble, made up of Natalie Tsaldarakis and Panayotis Archontides, plays with confidence and wit; the engineering is first-rate; and the program notes are refreshingly full.' Peter J. Rabinowitz, Fanfare Magazine, July/Aug 2021
'A totally enchanting album of distinctive new music. Engaging, evocative and finely-structured pieces by Hugh Shrapnel and John Lewis are performed with elegance and panache by Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble.’ Sarah Walker, BBC Radio 3 presenter 9/2020
PANAYOTIS ARCHONTIDES
Panayotis Archontides is a Greek–Australian concert pianist and Convivium Records Artist. He made his concerto debut at the Sydney Opera House at the age of 16 as a competition winner. His principal teachers and mentors include Elizabeth Powell (Sydney Conservatorium of Music), Lev Vlassenko (Moscow Conservatory, as a scholarship student), Elena Riu, Martino Tirimo, and Ian Pace. He graduated with an MMus in Piano Performance with Distinction from Trinity Laban Conservatoire and was awarded the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians (2007). He also holds degrees from the NSW Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Skalkottas Conservatory (Athens), and the American College of Greece. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras under conductors including James Judd and George Hadjinikos, and appeared in events such as the induction ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Athens Olympic Games (2004). He is also active as an arranger, with published arrangements of film music.
NATALIE TSALDARAKIS
Natalie Tsaldarakis is a Greek concert pianist and Convivium Records Artist. She is an elected member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, in recognition of excellence at the completion of her MMus studies in Piano Performance (high distinction) at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She has been a laureate of competitions in Greece and the US (past winner of two Pennsylvania-based concerto competitions, and a Pennsylvania District winner of the MTNA national competition), also selected as a competitor in international competitions including the Gina Bachauer and Vienna Beethoven competitions.
Alongside her performance career, Natalie holds a further MMus degree from the UK (Royal Holloway) where she studied with John Rink, and is a published author, including contributions to Classical Music in a Changing World (Vernon Press, 2021). Natalie was a doctoral researcher at City & St George’s, University of London for several years researching British pianism and the legacy of Gordon Green (teacher of many distinguished pianists, including Sir Stephen Hough; publication forthcoming). She also served for several years as a trustee of the Cornelius Cardew Concerts Trust.
IVORY DUO PIANO ENSEMBLE
The Ivory Duo Piano Ensemble has been based in London since 2005. As soloists and as a duo, the pianists have released recordings on Convivium Records, available via major digital platforms and Naxos Direct, with a further release scheduled for March 2026. Their performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Scala Radio, WQXR (New York), and Hellenic Radio (ERA 1–3). Their recording of Helen Hagan’s Piano Concerto is included in the American Concerto Compendium (2nd edition) and features in a commemorative documentary produced by Yale University. In 2024, they performed at the Embassy of Brazil in London as part of the Guinness World Records longest livestream of works by women composers, organised by the Donne – Women in Music Foundation.
Formerly Artist Teachers at the American College of Greece for a decade and piano professors at the National Conservatory of Greece, they have performed at venues including the Athens Concert Hall, Southbank Centre, Steinway Hall London, Fairfield Halls, St John’s Smith Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields, and St James’s Piccadilly. They are Co-Artistic Directors of the Piano Plus International Recital Series and are Making Music Recommended Artists for 2026–28.
Official website: www.ivoryduopiano.com