Join us for an enchanting Christmas concert at the Embassy of Austria as the ACF DC welcomes Duo Minerva.
With clarinet and accordion, the Austrian duo blurs the boundaries between classical music, jazz, folk, and avant-garde with effortless artistry and charm. Their program, Hymne à l’amour, reimagines timeless works with brilliance and a playful creativity.
Duo Minerva is part of NASOM 2025/2026 (The New Austrian Sound of Music) and has performed at many international festivals and stages.
The concert will be followed by a taste of traditional Austrian mulled wine.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Duo Minerva’s program Hymne à l’amour demonstrates how exciting and multifaceted classical music can be. Their virtuosity and deeply expressive arrangements, combined with great craftsmanship, breathe new life into well-known works. The pair playfully moves between a wide range of genres, blending classical masterpieces with contemporary avant-garde, folk music, and a touch of the unknown – with love at the center.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Johanna Gossner | Clarinet
Damian Keller | Accordion
Borders between genres are utterly foreign to this Austrian duo, and lingering within a single musical style is inconceivable. Clarinetist Johanna Gossner from Tyrol and accordionist Damian Keller from Vorarlberg demonstrate how deviating from musical traditions can lead to something new and exciting. They create an artful crossover sound, based on classical music, jazz, world music, and avantgarde, and develop its distinct character. The masterpieces – arranged by the duo with great finesse and a good measure of wit – undergo a marvellous revival in a hitherto unheard-of manner.
In 2017, the young ensemble won the 16th Fidelio Chamber Music Competition of the City of Vienna, as well as the scholarship for the promotion of young artists. This was followed by international competition successes in Europe and Asia, as well as concerts at international festivals, such as the Allegro Vivo Festival, the Salzburg Festival, :alpenarte, and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. As of 2023, the ensemble is part of the sponsorship program of the renowned Club Klassik - Vienna Music Society, which supports promising young artists living in Austria.
ABOUT NASOM
The New Austrian Sound of Music – in short NASOM – is a biannual sponsorship program by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) promoting emerging Austrian and Austria-based musicians performing abroad.
The aim of NASOM is to offer support for international performances of promising young talents with the help of a global network of embassies, cultural forums and consulates over a period of two years. A further objective of NASOM is to draw more attention to the fact that Austrian music – beyond the traditional – is as vibrant, modern and culturally diverse as ever.
Every two years, the young artists accepted for this program are selected in cooperation with the organization mica – music austria and an expert commission. Participants of the sponsorship program are chosen from the genres classical, jazz, global, contemporary and pop/electronic music.
Images © Nancy Horowitz