Z.o.o. guitar duo

Z.o.o. guitar duo
(Peter Constant & Marion Schaap)

Described by Classical Guitar magazine as "premier league quality", this truly international duo combines the virtuoso guitar talents of Peter Constant (Australian) and Marion Schaap (Dutch). They met whilst completing their Master of Music degrees at Yale University, USA (Benjamin Verdery) and for more than a decade their ‘first love’ has been playing together.

The duo ‘Z.o.o.’ has been based in the Netherlands for the past 10 years. Their impeccable ensemble playing, passionate music-making and on-stage repartee has made them one of the most popular guitar ensembles on the Dutch chamber music circuit. ‘Z.o.o.’ repertoire includes original transcriptions of Bach, Scarlatti, Schumann, Poulenc, Milhaud etc. Further, there is also now a large body of works written especially for them, indeed Peter and Marion have built a substantial reputation for presenting exciting new repertoire in concerts and special workshops. They have worked in film, television, radio and in total appear on some 14 commercial CD recordings. Recent appearances have included the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Darwin International Guitar Festival, the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, Staunton Music Festival (Virginia), the Canadian Tulip Festival, the Jazz- und Klassiktage Tübingen (Germany) and the prestigious Grachtenfestival, Amsterdam. They play on ‘new generation’ guitars made by renowned Australian luthiers Greg Smallman and Paul Sheridan.

Peter Constant was ‘most outstanding graduate’ of the Canberra School of Music (Timothy Kain) in 1989. He has been awarded the prestigious Harkness Fellowship, named a ‘Fellow’ of Trinity College of Music London and won multiple 1st prizes in the Australian Guitar Competition. Peter was a founding member of the innovative 4tet Guitar Trek with whom he performed in many major venues throughout Australia, Asia and America (D’addario Series). He has collaborated with a diverse array of performers and composers, premiering dozens of new works, many written especially for him. Peter’s solo CD A Sympathetic Resonance was reviewed by the American Soundboard magazine as “totally in command of the material, displaying a comprehensive palette of expression and colour…an effective interpreter”. Maintaining a special interest in large guitar ensembles, Peter was invited to conduct the European Youth Guitar Ensemble and is currently chief conductor of the Netherlands Youth Guitar Orchestra who recently worked with the great Pepe Romero. Between ’93-’98 Peter was head lecturer in guitar at the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne.

Marion Schaap was a distinguished graduate of Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam (Lex Eisenhardt) before going to Yale. Her performance credits include the Concertgebouw and Ijsbreker as well as several major festivals. Soundboard magazine described her playing as "truly exciting, very moving and sincere... displaying a great dynamic range with no fear of taking risks". Marion’s special collaboration with Shakuhachi Master Andrew Macgregor yielded a highly popular CD which features Marion’s own arrangements of Japanese koto music for the guitar. She has also recorded music of Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla for worldwide release on Naxos. A dedicated pedagogue, Marion has taught at Melbourne University and sat on the board of the European Guitar Teachers’ Association.

CONTACT INFORMATION
T: + 31 (0)36 549 9929
E: email Z.o.o. guitar duo
W: www.zooguitarduo.com

“…one was aware of a complete togetherness and accuracy; … It has been a long time since I have heard a duo so technically proficient and yet so musical. PC and MS deserve to be household names wherever they go. Here’s hoping that it happens soon. Outstanding!” – Classical Guitar (UK)