Comprised of pianist Rieko Aizawa and violinist Jesse Mills, Duo Prism is a dynamic ensemble committed to the full spectrum of works composed for this instrumentation. The metaphor of a three-sided prism represents the perfectly balanced relationship which these two artists together make with the composers of the works that they present.

 

Since its inception in 2005, Duo Prism has performed throughout the United States. In May of 2006, Duo Prism won 1st Prize at the Gaetano Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Verona, Italy, returned the following season for a tour of Northern Italy. 

 

Based in New York City, the duo frequently collaborates with contemporary composers in addition to their exploration of the vast traditional repertoire. In 2008, Duo Prism worked closely with composer Peter Lieberson, performing his Theme and Variations as part of a Composer Portrait performance at Columbia University’s Miller Theater in New York City. They are in the process of performing the complete sonatas by Beethoven, and they aim to commission new works in the upcoming season. In 2010, they became artistic directors of the Alpenglow Chamber Music Festival in Colorado.

 

Both Aizawa and Mills are graduates of the Juilliard School. Aizawa also studied at The Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where she was the last pupil of Mieczyslaw Horszowski. A native of Japan, Aizawa began her career with a US debut at the age of fourteen at the Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall with the New York String Orchestra conducted by Alexander Schneider. Praised by the NY Times for her "impressive musicality, a crisp touch and expressive phrasing", she has since established her own unique musical voice.

 

Mills earned a Grammy nominations for his work on a CD of Arnold Schoenberg's music, released by NAXOS in 2005 and 2010. He is known as a pioneer of contemporary works, a renowned improvisational artist, as well as a composer. Mills recently made his concerto debut at Chicago's Ravinia Festival. He can be heard on the Naxos, Koch, Centaur Records, Tzadik, Max Jazz and Verve labels.

 

Duo Prism has a passion for understanding the voice of every composer; they seek to illuminate the music as well as their own joy recreating it. Both Aizawa and Mills are the founding members of the Horszowski Trio, and they are on the faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and Brooklyn College.