by Carlyn Kessler, Special Contributor

Italian Guitarists Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli formed SoloDuo ten years ago. Their performances have received world-wide acclaim from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall, from Kiev’s Hall of Columns to Vienna’s Konzerthaus.

On Saturday, May 31 at 8:00 pm in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Mixon Hall, SoloDuo will make a return visit to the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival with a program titled “Metamorphoses.” The performance includes the music of Albéniz, Beethoven, Debussy, Granados, Jolivet, and Rodrigo. On Sunday, June 1, SoloDuo will present a master class from 11:30 am until 2:30 pm in CIM’s Studio 113. The event is free and open to the public.

Although the Duo’s touring schedule did not allow for a telephone conversation, Matteo Mela and Lorenzo Micheli graciously agreed to answer questions by e-mail

Carlyn Kessler: How did the two of you meet?

SoloDuo: We met about fifteen years ago in San Antonio, Texas, while we were both on tour as soloists. We literally bumped into each other by chance. We both thought we could get along pretty well, and we met for lunch a few weeks later when we got back to Europe. That was the beginning of everything. [Read more…]