Invencia Piano Duo

Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn have won critical acclaim around the world for their compelling interpretations of diverse and adventurous repertoire. Describing the duo’s performances music critics have praised them as “flawless,” “dazzling,” “electrifying” and “authoritative.”

Hailing from Armenian and Ukrainian families, Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn were educated at the Moscow State Conservatory and came to the United States in the 1990s to pursue advanced studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. They presently teach at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Additionally, they are Artistic Co-Directors of the Norfolk Chamber Consort and co-founders of the Invencia Piano Duo, which won in the Best Classical Category of the 2014 Veer Magazine Music Awards.

The musicians are active as soloists and collaborators as well, having performed with such renowned artists as violinist Joshua Bell, tenor James King, tubist Harvey Phillips, and choreographer Jelon Vieira, among many others. In 1994, Kasparov premiered the newly discovered edition of Béla Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, revised by the composer himself.

Both members of the duo are the recipients of prestigious awards. Lutsyshyn won Second Prize at the Vienna Modern Masters Third International Performers’ Recording Awards Competition. She was also a prizewinner at the William Kapell International Piano Competition in College Park, Maryland. As a result of the latter award she debuted in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Kasparov won the Albert Roussel Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition for 20th-Century Music.

In addition to his career as a pianist, Kasparov is an active composer. His compositions have been performed at various festivals and other venues in Moscow, New York, Paris, Buenos Aires, Darmstadt, Yerevan, Ottawa, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and many other cities in the former Soviet Union, Europe, and the Americas. He was awarded the Second Prize at the Sergei Prokofiev International Composition Competition in Moscow, Russia, for his Piano Sonata No. 2. His compositions and articles have been published by the Kompozitor Publishing House in Moscow and Hungarian Music Quarterly in Budapest.

Kasparov and Lutsyshyn are prolific and internationally acclaimed recording artists. Their chamber and solo performances, as well as Kasparov’s compositions, are featured on labels such as Naxos Records, Albany Records, CRS and VMM. Lutsyshyn has also made a recording with violinist Joshua Bell for the BBC. They have recorded four CDs with the complete works by Florent Schmitt for piano duet and duo on Naxos Grand Piano, which was subsequently released as four-CD album. This set has gathered accolades such as “an interpretation as perfect as the music itself” (Michel Fleury, Classica, France), “elegance and telepathic sense of timing” (Byzantion, MusicWeb International, UK), “a refined and mellifluous interpretation” (Jonathan Sánchez Hernández, Ritmo, Spain), “an exceptional pair of musicians” (James Harrington, American Record Guide, USA) and “An outstanding production!” (Burkhard Schäffer, Piano News, Germany). CD 1 of the Schmitt series was chosen as Recording of the Month and Critics’ Choice by MusicWeb International and Naxos, respectively. Kasparov and Lutsyshyn have also released a two-CD set with the complete works by Paul Bowles for piano solo and duo on Naxos American Classics. Having received an unconditional endorsement by the Gramophone magazine, CD 1 of this series was included by Naxos in Critics’ Choice.

Kasparov presently serves as Organist at Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk while Lutsyshyn is currently Music Director and Organist at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Virginia Beach.