Richard and John Contiguglia

Who is Richard and John Contiguglia?

Richard and John Contiguglia are American classical duo pianists with a worldwide reputation, who consistently attract superlatives from critics.

The Contiguglia brothers are identical twins. They were born in Auburn, New York, of Italian immigrant parents, who already had five children including another set of twins. They were playing duets by the age of 5. At age 12, in the midst of a solo piano recital by Percy Grainger, they performed some piano-duo pieces. After that concert, Grainger presented them with signed copies of some of his two-piano scores. They have since championed Grainger's music in concert and on record.

They gained academic degrees from Yale University, studying piano with Bruce Simonds, followed by four years of study in London with Dame Myra Hess, who asked them to devote their lives to making the Franz Schubert piano duets better known. Their debut was at the Wigmore Hall in London in 1962 and they were immediately noticed by critics. Since then they have carved out an impressive international touring and recording schedule. They have performed with many orchestras both in the United States and overseas, and have appeared in recital and concert in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.