Greek flautist Polychronis Karamatidis and Romanian guitarist Matei Rusu made their debut as Duo con Spirito in January 2015 in Maastricht (The Netherlands). Since then they have been highly active, performing all over Europe.
The duo has been awarded several prizes in international chamber music competitions, such as:
- First Prize, Altamira Gorizia Guitar Competition 2020 (Italy);
- First Prize, “eMuse” International Music Competition (category E);
- Second Prize, “ENKOR” International Chamber Music Competition;
- Third Prize, “Leopold Bellan” International Chamber Music Competition (Paris, France);
- Third Prize, “Paola Ruminelli” International Chamber Music Competition 2019 (Domodossola, Italy);
- Third Prize “Twents” International Chamber Music Competition (Enschede, The Netherlands).
Through the grace of their interpretation, the duo aims to take the audience into the world of classical music. From original compositions to arrangements, many of which made by the duo themselves, their repertoire covers all the style periods of the history of music. Embracing the works of living composers, Duo con Spirito is focusing on enriching the repertoire and promoting the scene of contemporary music.
During the last years, the duo developed several projects. Most notable were “Stories from Le Chat Noir” and “Astor Piazzolla – Libertad in Tango” (both prizewinners in the “Musik & Vermittlung” competition organized by Hochschule für Musik Detmold, respectively), projects aiming to combine artworks with music from similar stylistic periods and the Con Spirito Quartet (flute, guitar, viola, violoncello).
In the “Unternehmen: Musik” Project Competition (organized by HfM Detmold) their project “Die Stimme hinter den Mauern” was a prizewinner. Moreover, the duo was awarded a scholarship to participate in the “Research-Led Performance Workshop” in Venice, a workshop focusing on the interpretation of contemporary music for flute and guitar.
In 2020 the duo released its first CD, “Debut”. It comprises their unique arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Italian Concerto and the Valses Poeticos of E. Granados, alongside other masterpieces of the flute and guitar repertoire.
After finishing their Bachelor of Music at Conservatorium Maastricht under the guidance of Prof. Philippe Benoit and Prof. Carlo Marchione, the duo graduated the Chamber Music Master’s Degree (with outstanding results) at Hochschule für Musik Detmold with Prof. János Bálint and Prof. Thomas Kirchhoff.
Duo con Spirito participated in international festivals (such as Iserlohn Guitar Festival 2018 in Germany, Braga Guitar Festival 2018 in Portugal, etc.) where they performed and attended masterclasses with Hübert Käppel, Alexander Bondurianski, Zoran Dukic and other well-renowned professors and performers of today’s classical music world. In addition, the duo has frequently received lessons with members of the Auryn Quartett, Marc Tooten and Dale Kavanagh among others.