Two Accordions, One Orchestra: How Gemini Duo Plays Stravinsky, Holst and Grieg

Gemini Duo performs complete orchestral works, from Stravinsky's Petrushka to Holst's The Planets, on two classical accordions and from memory. Wanchen and Wanxu Zhao talk about choosing what to transcribe, arranging with their mentor Geir Draugsvoll, and balancing the classics with brand-new music.

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

Gemini Duo at a Glance

Most chamber ensembles leave the symphonic repertoire to orchestras. Gemini Duo, the Copenhagen-based classical accordion duo of twin sisters Wanchen Zhao and Wanxu Zhao, has built its identity on doing the opposite. We spoke to them about how two accordions take on a full orchestra.

Can an accordion duo sound like a full orchestra?

People often say you sound like an orchestra. How do two accordions create that effect?

Wanxu: Yes, and honestly, that's the part we love most about being Gemini Duo. A concert accordion has several reed registers, a huge range from deep bass to bright treble, and bellows that let us breathe a phrase the way a string section would.

Wanchen: So we split the orchestra between the two of us: one takes the brass, the other the strings, and then we swap. That's how Petrushka, The Planets and the Polovtsian Dances end up on just two instruments.

Wanxu: We still smile about the Seen and Heard International review that said our Petrushka gave the orchestral version a run for its money.

Which orchestral works can two accordions play?

You play Stravinsky, Holst and other orchestral works. How do you choose what to transcribe?

Wanchen: The bigger the piece, the more excited we get! This is our orchestral programme right now:

Wanxu: We choose music full of colour, rhythm and drama, where the accordion's long breath and wide dynamics can really stand in for a whole orchestral section.

Who arranges orchestral scores for two accordions?

Who makes your arrangements, and what does that process look like?

Wanchen: Both other people and us, actually. We play some existing arrangements by other accordionists, but mostly we make our own, with guidance from Geir Draugsvoll. He's been our professor and mentor for eight years, and he's one of the most important and innovative figures in the accordion world.

Wanxu: Our Petrushka, for example, is Geir's own arrangement, and it's incredible. The Planets and the Peer Gynt Suites are ours.

Wanchen: Arranging is honestly one of our favourite things to do. We sit down with the full orchestral score and decide together who plays what: who takes the violins, who gets the horns, where we need to cheat a little.

Wanxu: Then we try it in rehearsal, argue a bit, like sisters do, change things, play it for Geir, take his feedback… and keep going until it sounds like an orchestra and we can play it from memory.

What repertoire does a classical accordion duo play?

What does your repertoire cover? Where do you feel most at home?

Wanxu: It runs from late-Romantic and 20th-century orchestral works to pieces written just a few years ago. On one side are our transcriptions of Stravinsky, Holst, Grieg and Borodin.

Wanchen: On the other is contemporary music like Sofia Gubaidulina's Hell und Dunkel, Zbigniew Bargielski's Gespräch mit einem Schatten and Staffan Mossenmark's Calm Water & Hot Air, plus new pieces by composers such as Martin Lohse and Christos Farmakis.

Wanxu: Where do we feel most at home? Probably right in the middle: big orchestral colour, played with chamber-music closeness.

Classical or contemporary: does Gemini Duo specialise?

How do you balance core classical repertoire with contemporary works and commissions?

Wanchen: We don't really choose, because for us it's one story: showing the classical accordion as a modern concert instrument. The orchestral pieces often bring people into the hall; the new works show what the accordion can do that no other instrument can.

Wanxu: And working with living composers is just really fun. We love getting a fresh score and figuring it out together. Right now we have six new pieces on our list, by Emil Johansson, Carlos Alberto Durán Zárate, Christos Farmakis, Man-Ching Yu Donald, Martin Lohse and Stephen Morris, and two of them were written for Gemini Duo.

How do critics react to orchestral music on two accordions?

How do audiences and critics react when they hear an orchestral work on two accordions for the first time?

Wanchen: Most people are surprised at first, and then they start to listen differently. That's the moment we love.

Wanxu: Critics have been really kind to us too. Accordions Worldwide said our debut album Morning Echoes brings a new dimension to chamber music. And we were so happy when two tracks from the album were picked for Spotify's official New Classical playlist.

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