The Duo

Eric Benzant-Feldra, born New York 1977; and Michael Kudirka, born Chicago 1978; first crossed paths while attending the Thornton School of Music at USC.  At the behest of their teacher, William Kanengiser of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Eric and Michael formed The Duo in 1998.  Their first project, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Pièces de Clavecin (1724), was enthusiastically received and encouraged The Duo to bring their ensemble beyond the confines of the university.  Since graduating, they have gravitated toward contemporary music. Ranging from Joaquin Rodrigo’s early “musical cubism” to Dušan Bogdanović’s current use of “developing bi-modality”, The Duo demonstrates that they are one of the most progressive guitar ensembles today.  They make frequent collaborations with active composers such as Jeffrey Holmes, Dušan Bogdanović, Bryan Johanson, Veronika Krausas, James Tenney, and Naomi Sekiya and have had many new works dedicated to them.

As solists, Eric and Michael have taken the top prizes of several prestigious guitar competitions including the American String Teacher’s Association and the Pasadena Fine Arts Club.  In 2000, they took first and second place at the Portland International Guitar Competition.  This resulted in an invitation to perform at the festival the following year.  In his review of The Duo’s recital, James McQuillen, music critic of The Oregonian, said, “The two make excellent duo partners, tight and responsive, and their overview of several centuries of lute and guitar pieces was a thrill.”

In the Spring of 2003, Eric and Michael won first-prize at the USC Guitar Department Concerto Competition resulting in a performance of Bryan Johanson’s Banana Dance for two guitars and orchestra.

As one the Los Angeles area’s most promising young art music ensembles, The Duo keeps a busy performing schedule on the West Coast and are members of the California Arts Council’s Touring and Presenting Program.  They have given recitals at the American Radio Museum in Bellingham, the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Lincoln Hall in Portland, the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco (Other Minds), McKinney Auditorium in Pasadena, the Beverly Hills Public Library (Sundays at Two), Newman Hall in Los Angeles, and the Electric Lodge in Venice (Microfest) where they were called, “the highlight of the evening...captivating” (LA Times).  They have also given performances in Chicago, Illinois and Osaka, Japan.

Eric Benzant-Feldra teaches guitar at probational facilities for at-risk youth through the Los Angeles County Office of Education as well as Plaza de la Raza through the CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP).  Michael Kudirka teaches classical guitar, music theory , and directs contemporary chamber music classes at the Idyllwild Arts Academy.