Morel-Nemish Duo

Morel-Nemish Duo

Morel-Nemish Duo. Piano duo formed by pianists Douglas Nemish (b Montreal 31 Mar 1957, M MUS [Montreal] 1982) and Dominique Morel (b St-Lin, renamed Villes des Laurentides, Que, 26 Apr 1958, M MUS [Montreal] 1982). Starting in 1976, Morel and Nemish both attended the École Vincent-d'Indy, and in 1981 they began their duo career during the Bartók centenary celebrations with the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada (Youth and Music Canada). They both studied at the University of Montreal, graduating from the master's program in 1982 and refined their knowledge of two-piano repertoire with several masters, including Jean-Eudes Vaillancourt, György Sebök, and Anton Kuerti. They continued their graduate studies at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest under the direction of Ferenc Rados and György Kurtág. In 1985 they performed at Vigado Hall in Budapest and at Bulgaria Hall in Sofia, Bulgaria, where they represented Canada at the 23rd UNESCO Congress. In 1987 they studied with Alfons Kontarsky in Salzburg, and that year won first prize at the Murray Dranoff International Two-Piano Competition in Miami, Fla. Besides a $10,000 prize, they were given the privilege of premiering the work Two Pianos by Morton Gould.

The Morel-Nemish Duo made several tours in Canada, the USA, and Europe, and performed with such orchestras as the Orchestre des jeunes du Québec, the Orchestre métropolitain, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony and the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra, with which they recorded. They have performed often at the Orford Arts Centre (eg 1981, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2006), and were featured at the Lanaudière Festival (1994). Among the Canadian works that the duo has performed is Violet Archer's Evocations for Two Pianos. The duo specializes in repertoire for two pianos, especially transcriptions of orchestral works, and often create their own transcriptions.

In 1996 Morel-Nemish founded the Festival international de Duo-Piano du Québec, with Morel as chairperson. The festival won a 1998 Opus Award for concert organizer of the year.