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ABOUT / DUO ÉTRANGE
Dedicated to creating contemporary classical art for modern audiences,
Duo Étrange is defining vocal chamber music for the 21st century.
Since the Duo’s founding in 2023, they have had remarkable early success. With a début disk featuring all new compositions from Montreal’s iconic classical label ATMA Classique and a recital début at the historic Salle Bourgie featuring a world premiere by Nicole Lizée slotted for the 2025-2026 season, the Duo is quickly making a name for themselves on the concert stage and in the world of new music. The Duo was recently selected by Le Vivier as Pôle Relève artists, and invited to attend Yellow Barn for one of their prestigious residencies as they prepare their own arrangement of Ligeti's "Mysteries of the Macabre". The Duo makes their NYC debut January 18th. They were recently interviewed by PanM360's Alain Brunet. Listen to the interview here.
Co-founded by cellist Sahara von Hattenberger and soprano Vanessa Croome, the mission of Duo Étrange is to develop engaging chamber music for modern audiences by blending classical traditions with modern aesthetics through voice and cello repertoire. Brought together by John Tavener's setting of Anna Akhmatova's poetry, the Duo discovered the pairing of soprano and cello, while uncommon in the classical canon, allows for new timbral possibilities.
Determined to push boundaries and explore new avenues of expression, Duo Étrange frequently collaborations with other musicians and ensembles, including pianists Kyoko Hashimoto and Joanne Kang. Through their work, Duo Étrange’s aims to support future-proofed production practices with a focus on contemporary compositions, flexible small ensemble works, and digital projects. These values are reflected in their ongoing collaboration with New York Times featured videographer, Huei Lin.
Duo Étrange is proud to center female identifying, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ creators as part of their creative teams. Their dedication to diversifying classical music is reflected in their partnership with Cantonese Composer, Jeffrey Fong..This cross-cultural collaboration blends East and West, creating soundworlds that resonate with diverse audiences.
As they continue to evolve, Duo Étrange's commitment to artistic innovation and collaboration promises to leave an indelible mark on the world of music, captivating today’s audiences to help create a more vibrant future for classical music.
With their early training years spent in the local music and theatre programs of Vancouver Island, both artists followed a desire to explore the world through music, and are now split their time between Montreal and New York.
A shared history /
Vanessa and Sahara both grew up in small towns on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
Although their childhoods were spent only an hour's driving distance apart, they met in
Montréal, Québec through their first collaboration at the historic Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur.
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