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Atmospheric images, sweeping phrasing arcs, so varied, so exciting - listening to them is pure joy!
- Münchner Merkur
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The Duo Starke-Agnès provides an innovative offering for the modern Classical music scene, uniquely presenting itself as both a clarinet-piano and art song duo.
Formed in 2021 by clarinetist and tenor Konstantin Starke and pianist Giorgio Agnès, the duo has already garnered notable recognition on the national stage in Germany.
In 2022, they were awarded the First Prize at the national finals of the youth competition 'Jugend Musiziert'.
Konstantin, aged 20, and Giorgio, aged 18, were also awarded a scholarship with the 'Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now' association in 2022.
The following year, they were invited to perform a duo recital at the esteemed recording location Bibliotheksaal Polling.
Born in Turin, Italy in 2006, Giorgio Agnès started playing the piano at the age of five and won numerous prizes in competitions in Italy, England, and Germany from a young age, as well as performing as a soloist and in chamber music ensembles in all three countries. His most recent solo achievements include the First Prize and Special Prize at the 'Lunigiana International Music Festival Concerto Competition' in 2019, a Special Prize for the best performance of a Beethoven Concerto by a non-finalist at the 'Cantù International Piano and Orchestra Competition' in 2022, and the First Prize in his age category at the 'Concorsi Val Tidone 2023'. In December 2024, Giorgio recorded Chopin's Concerto in E minor with the Orchestra Regionale Filarmonia Veneta under the baton of Konstantin Starke.
Giorgio is currently studying at the Musikakademie Basel with Prof. Claudio Martìnez Mehner. He has completed pre-college studies at the Royal College of Music with Claudia Schurr, the Yehudi Menuhin School with Ruth Nye, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Margarita Höhenrieder.
Born into a family of musicians in Munich, Germany in 2004, Konstantin Starke is a clarinetist, tenor, and conductor with numerous awards already accrued. Most recently, he won Second Prize at the 'Wetzlar Clarinet Competition 2023' and First Prize at the 'Lions Music Prize 2024' He has taken the stage as a clarinet soloist at renowned venues such as the Prinzregententheater, the Allerheiligen Hofkirche, and the Herkulessal, while orchestra appearances have included the Isarphilarmonie and the Salzach-Halle. Such orchestra performances have occurred under world-renowned conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski, and Wayne Marshall. His own conducing debut came in 2023, while his most recent undertaking was a recording project with the Orchestra Regionale Filarmonia Veneta, which included a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto as both soloist and conductor.
Konstantin is currently studying clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Prof. Georg Arzberger and conducting at the Conservatorio di Vicenza with Maestro Giancarlo Andretta. He also completed pre-college courses in clarinet in Munich and in singing at the 'Mozarteum Salzburg' with Prof. Barbara Bonney and Prof. Ildikó Raimondi.
