The Hotchkiss School is delighted to present the internationally acclaimed Witkowski Piano Duo on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in Katherine M. Elfers Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The program will feature works by Gershwin, Rachmaninov, and Villa-Lobos. The special 2025-26 concert season marks the 20th anniversary of the breathtaking Katherine M. Elfers Hall and the state-of-the-art Esther Eastman Music Center. This recital will celebrate the very first performance held at Elfers Hall given by the Witkowski Piano Duo in 2005.

Brazilian pianists Fabio and Gisele Witkowski have captivated audiences around the globe with their vibrant and dynamic performances as a four-hands and two-piano duo. Their artistry has been described by New York Concert Review as “showing marvelous rubato and tremendously clean playing, with a lovely sense of tone,” and by the Milwaukee Sentinel for performing “uncommonly virtuosic four-hands repertoire with great, propulsive energy and easy command.”

The duo has performed in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Symphony Hall in Shanghai, Shenzhen Concert Hall, and the Gardens of Villa Rufolo in Ravello, Italy. Individually, they have collaborated with orchestras such as the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the Paulista Symphony Orchestra, and performed alongside renowned chamber groups including the Emerson String Quartet and Guarneri Quartet.

In addition to performing, Fabio and Gisele Witkowski are dedicated educators at The Hotchkiss School, where Mr. Witkowski serves as head of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and director of the Music Program. They are also co-directors of the Hotchkiss in Florence Piano Program in Italy and the Hotchkiss Piano Summer Portals in the USA, mentoring students who have gone on to achieve national and international recognition.

Their performances are marked by technical brilliance, expressive nuance, and infectious energy. Audiences can expect an evening of exquisite artistry, from the lush harmonies of Rachmaninov to the rhythmic vitality of Villa-Lobos and Gershwin’s quintessential American sound.