Orchestral Sound, Chamber Music Soul: Gemini Duo on Festivals, Churches and the Stage

What happens when a classical accordion duo walks onto a festival stage, into a cathedral or into a masterclass? Wanchen and Wanxu Zhao of Gemini Duo talk about their concerts, the spaces they love, their staging ideas, collaborations and themed programmes.

Interview: Jessie Hong – Classical Music Marketing Specialist for Germany, Switzerland & Austria | Sperity Classical · October 2026

Gemini Duo at a Glance

For festival directors and concert presenters, the classical accordion is still an unusual booking. Gemini Duo, the Copenhagen-based duo of twin sisters Wanchen Zhao and Wanxu Zhao, makes the case for it. We asked them what audiences can expect.

Is the classical accordion suitable for a high-end chamber music festival?

What does the accordion bring to a chamber music festival that audiences might not expect?

Wanchen: We'd love to think so! What we bring is something most festival audiences have never heard: a whole orchestral piece, played by just two people, from memory.

Wanxu: We've won first prizes at five international competitions in the chamber music category, three of them open to all instruments. Those mean a lot to us, because we see ourselves first and foremost as chamber musicians. We've never felt "less than" the chamber music staples like the string quartet or the piano trio.

Wanchen: And at the same time, we can bring orchestral sound into a chamber music festival with just two accordions. Our favourite festival programme mixes something people know, like Grieg's Peer Gynt, with contemporary pieces they've never heard. That way everyone gets a bit of both.

How does a classical accordion duo sound in a church or cathedral?

How does your sound change in a church, and do you adapt your programme for those spaces?

Wanxu: Churches are magical for the accordion. The sound just keeps floating, a bit like an organ.

Wanchen: We actually play in churches in Denmark quite often, including music originally written for organ, like Boëllmann's Suite gothique in a version for two accordions. That recording is on our debut album Morning Echoes, and you can hear it here:

Wanxu: In big, resonant spaces we lean towards pieces with long lines. Holst's Venus and Jupiter sound brilliant in a church. And we take the fast, rhythmic pieces a little slower, so they don't turn into a blur.

What does an audience see at a Gemini Duo concert?

Is there something visual about watching two accordionists?

Wanchen: People often tell us our concerts are fun to watch, not just to listen to. We play from memory, so we can look at each other the whole time, even if we're not always breathing or moving the bellows together.

Wanxu: The funny thing is, we're actually fraternal twins, but people often think we're identical! So that's a little visual surprise in itself.

Wanchen: Some contemporary pieces even turn into a bit of theatre, like our staging of Bargielski's Gespräch mit einem Schatten. The basic setup is simple, though: two chairs and good light.

Wanxu: But we do love bringing in our own staging ideas. When we toured China last year, I bought a giant red light that looks like flames, for Mars from Holst's The Planets. Eye candy for the audience, I'd say!

Can classical accordionists perform with orchestras, choirs or ensembles?

Have you worked with orchestras, choirs or other ensembles?

Wanchen: Yes, and we really enjoy it! One of our favourite experiences was playing Astor Piazzolla's Double Concerto Hommage à Liège with a string ensemble.

Wanxu: The accordion blends beautifully with strings, winds and voices. Two accordions can step forward as soloists in a concerto, or wrap a choir in long, warm harmonies.

Does Gemini Duo create themed or custom programmes?

Have you created programmes for a specific occasion or theme?

Wanxu: We love building a programme around a story or theme. One example is HERRRR · 四面在场 (Four Sides of Presence), which we toured in China and performed in Denmark together with another unique duo who play the pipa, a traditional Chinese instrument sometimes called the "Chinese lute".

Wanchen: The sounds of pipa and accordion merge beautifully in that programme, for example in the Yunnan folk song "The Moon over the Stream". In general we enjoy mixing orchestral transcriptions, contemporary works and music from our Chinese background, depending on the occasion.

Wanxu: And since we make our own arrangements, we're always happy to talk about something new for a festival theme or an anniversary, as long as we have enough time to prepare it properly.

Does Gemini Duo give masterclasses?

Do you teach or give masterclasses when you're on tour?

Wanchen: Yes, we love teaching when we're on tour. We give masterclasses and workshops for accordion students, focusing on what changed our own playing most: listening to each other, playing from memory, bellows control, and turning an orchestral score into accordion music.

Wanxu: We also give chamber music workshops that aren't limited to accordion. It goes back to how we prepared ourselves as chamber musicians, and what we're essentially building for our own.

About Gemini Duo

Gemini Duo is the classical accordion duo of twin sisters Wanchen Zhao and Wanxu Zhao, born in Shenzhen, China, and based in Copenhagen since 2019. They trained with Geir Draugsvoll at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and have won first prizes at five international competitions. Their debut album Morning Echoes (Evidence Classics, 2026) brings together orchestral transcriptions, contemporary repertoire and music connected to their Chinese roots.

Booking (Europe): Jessie Hong, geminiduo@jessiehong.de