Joseph Murphy, saxophone
Matthew Slotkin, guitar
Duo Montagnard was formed in 2002 and has performed over 300 concerts in 49 states, eight Canadian provinces, and twenty countries on six continents. Festival performances include the Chautauqua Institution, Scandinavian Saxophone Festival, Hartwick College Summer Music Festival, North-West University New Music Week (South Africa), UNC-Wilmington New Music for Guitar and Saxophone Festival, Radford University International Guitar Festival, and the Alexandria Guitar Festival. The duo has commissioned, premiered and recorded more than twenty works for guitar and saxophone by composers including James Crowley, Jonathan Elliott, Laura Kramer, John Anthony Lennon, John Orfe and Russell Peterson.
Craig Butterfield, bass
Matthew Slotkin, guitar
Dez Cordas is an unusual duo featuring double bassist Craig Butterfield and guitarist Matthew Slotkin, who perform an eclectic mix of musical styles from tango to jazz to baroque. Both musicians are classically trained, yet show their diverse musical roots in arrangements by a wide variety of music by composers including Astor Piazzolla, Chick Corea and Bela Bartok, as well as new compositions written for the duo by leading contemporary composers. As a chamber duo, Dez Cordas shares melodic material equally, without relegating one member to a permanently accompanying role. Audiences will hear soaring highs and deep lows from both instruments, creating an almost orchestral sound from just two instruments. Recent performances include tours of the northeastern and southeastern U.S., and performances at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. Centaur Records released the duo’s first CD, “Dances, Songs, Inventions,” in early 2010, and Summit Records released “Gone Away” in July 2011 and “Pilgrimage: New Works for Guitar and Double Bass” in May 2015. Individually, both Slotkin and Butterfield have appeared in concert in some of the most prestigious venues throughout the world.
