From Shenzhen to Copenhagen: Gemini Duo on Training, Two Cultures and Competing Against Every Instrument

Twin sisters Wanchen and Wanxu Zhao grew up in Shenzhen, met their teacher at a festival in Norway at 19 and studied for years at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. They talk about carrying Nordic and Chinese influences into their music, and the competition wins that took them to Berlin and Vienna.

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

Gemini Duo at a Glance

Gemini Duo's story runs across three countries: China, Norway and Denmark. We asked the classical accordion duo where it began, and how it led them to some of the most important chamber music halls in the German-speaking world.

How did Gemini Duo's Chinese and Nordic backgrounds shape their music?

How do your Chinese roots and your years in Copenhagen show in your music and your programmes?

Wanchen: We grew up in Shenzhen and moved to Copenhagen in 2019. Before that, we'd already been to the Nordaccordion Festival in Voss, Norway, one of the leading accordion festivals, founded by Geir Draugsvoll. We were only 19!

Wanxu: That's where we got to know Geir, and why we decided to move to Copenhagen to study with him. So we really carry both worlds with us.

Wanchen: The Nordic side shows in what we play, like Grieg's Peer Gynt, and in the sound we look for: broad, open and long-breathed, a bit like the fjords around Voss or the wide Danish sky over the sea.

Wanxu: And the Chinese side is very close to our hearts. Our debut album Morning Echoes (晨叙) includes music connected to where we come from, such as "Why Are the Flowers So Red" (花儿为什么这样红), one of the best-known melodies in mainland China.

Where do top classical accordionists train?

Where did you study, and how did that shape you as a duo?

Wanxu: We trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, which is one of the best places in Europe to study classical accordion.

Wanchen: Our teacher was Geir Draugsvoll, a real legend in the accordion world, and we stayed for our Bachelor's, Master's and Advanced Postgraduate Soloist studies in chamber music.

Wanxu: Copenhagen is where we learned to take the accordion completely seriously as a concert instrument, and where we started working closely with composers.

Which international competitions has Gemini Duo won?

Which competitions and awards have been important for your career?

Wanchen: We've been lucky to win first prize at five international competitions, including the Vienna International Music Competition, 46th Pula International Accordion Competition, Manhattan International Music Competition as well as Berlin Rising Star Award, in the chamber music category.

Wanxu: The ones open to all instruments mean a lot to us, because we see ourselves first and foremost as chamber musicians.

What connects Gemini Duo to the German-speaking classical world?

What connects you to Germany and Austria?

Wanxu: Our first big moment in the German-speaking world was the Berlin Rising Star Award in 2021. Then in 2024 we won the Vienna International Music Competition. Both were in categories open to all instruments.

Wanchen: And both led to concerts in amazing halls: the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Philharmonie and the Brahms-Saal of the Vienna Musikverein.

Wanxu: Those were huge milestones for us. We were competing against every instrument, so it felt like recognition as chamber musicians, not just as "two accordionists".

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