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Comprised of two virtuoso members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - violinist Maria Schleuning and cellist Jolyon Pegis - the SCHLEUNING/PEGIS DUO emerged from the two artists’ 2003 concerts with the contemporary ensemble Voices of Change. Since then, the Duo has specialized in presenting rarely heard double concerti by Miklós Rózsa and Alfred Schnittke, as well as more traditional works by Johannes Brahms and Camille Saint-Saëns.
In 2019, the artists commissioned “Partners, A Double Concerto for Violin, Cello & Orchestra” by the eminent American composer David Amram. The work was premiered by Kenneth Kiesler and the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, with subsequent performances presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra and Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra. In addition to being the featured soloists in four different double concerti with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Schleuning and Mr. Pegis have appeared together with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bozeman and West Virginia symphony orchestras.
The Schleuning/Pegis Duo has performed in recital throughout Texas, in Michigan and, most recently, on tour in Pennsylvania and western New York, featuring world premiere performances of Petite Suite, written expressly for them by the New Zealand composer Grant Cooper. Dedicated educators, the Duo’s engagements often include masterclasses and lecture/demonstrations.
Of the Schleuning/Pegis Duo’s performance of the Brahms “Double Concerto” with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Dallas Morning News wrote, “DSO audiences have heard big-name soloists play this piece with half the precision, care and sheer musicality of these two. Everything was finely focused, and double-stops and octave runs were tuned with astonishing accuracy.”
[Orchestra Repertoire]
AMRAM, David
Partners: A Double Concerto for Violin & Cello (2017)
BRAHMS
Concerto in a, Op. 102 (“Double”)
ROZSA
Sinfonia concertante for Violin & Cello, Op. 29
SAINT-SAËNS
La Muse et la poète, Op. 132
SCHNITTKE, Alfred
Concerto Grosso #2 (1982)
[Recital Repertoire]
| COOPER, Grant | Petite Suite |
| GLIÈRE | 8 Pieces for Violin & Cello, Op. 39 |
| HAYDN | Duet in D for Violin & Cello, H. VI/D1 |
| KODÁLY | Duo for Violin & Cello, Op. 7 (1914) |
| RAVEL | Sonata for Violin & Cello (1920-22) |
Maria Schleuning and Jolyon Pegis are a dream team when they play together. Composing a piece [Partners] for them and seeing them take the notes off of the paper and make it become music of their own is all that any composer could dream of. Working with them has been one of the highlights of my life. They are true musical artists, and whenever they play together, they cast a spell on every audience, reminding everyone who hears them why we love music!
DAVID AMRAM, composer
Though Schleuning and Pegis premiered the piece [Amram Partners] in 2018, it appears as if they’ve known it for decades. They dispatched rapid passagework with ease and lent heartfelt lyricism to melodies.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
One could argue that Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No. 2 was just the piece for the profoundly unsettled, conflicted national mood. Again and again, the solo violin and cello attempt to represent order, to spin out baroque figurations and weave hints of a melody suggestive of ‘Silent Night.’ Violinist Maria Schleuning and cellist Jolyon Pegis played brilliantly – no small accomplishment – but also, when called for, subtly.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Cello reveals influences from Hungarian folk songs, which he collected in his native country. Unfolding in three movements, the work feels more substantial that one might expect because of the striking range of the parts and dramatic effects like double and triple stops. Violinist Maria Schleuning teamed up with cellist Jolyon Pegis in a rhapsodic reading. Particularly impressive were exquisite soft dynamics and poetic phrasings of melodies.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Conductor Rachev leads DSO in rousing evening of all-German fare [headline]
Two superb DSO string players, violinist Maria Schleuning and cellist Jolyon Pegis, were soloists in the Brahms Double Concerto. DSO audiences have heard big-name soloists play this piece with half the precision, care and sheer musicality of these two. Everything was finely focused, and double-stops and octave runs were tuned with astonishing accuracy.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Rozsa played by 2 is spellbinding [headline]
Violinist Maria Schleuning and cellist Jolyon Pegis made a spellbinding case for the piece [Rozsa Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Cello & Orchestra], bringing sweep to the melodies that open the work. Pegis played with an earthy tone at the start of the first movement’s lengthy cadenza while Schleuning matches him in warmth and tone. The central movement’s variations were a wonder of contrapuntal interplay between the soloists and a fine example of pacing. The melodies seemed to hover and float dreamily without losing an insistent rhythmic undercurrent. The rather Hungarian dances of the finale were lively and witty, with drenching tone. The soloists, and the orchestra, played ravishingly.
CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL (West Virginia)
| 10/24/2023 (8pm) | MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY (Erie, PA) Walker Recital Hall Glière: Huit morceaux |
| 10/26/2023 (12:10pm) | THE HOCHSTEIN SCHOOL (Rochester, NY) Hochstein Performance Hall Glière: Huit morceaux (selections) |
| 10/28/2023 (7:30pm) | 1891 FREDONIA OPERA HOUSE (NY) Cooper: Petite Suite |
| 2/4/2024 (2:30pm) | TRINITY STAR ARTS COUNCIL Lakeside United Methodist Church (Streetman, TX) Haydn: Duo in D |
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Glière: Huit Morceaux |
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Kodály: Duo for Violin & Cello |
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Amram: Partners A Double Concerto for Violin, Cello & Orchestra |
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BRAHMS: Double Concerto in a, Op. 102 (excerpts) |
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SCHNITTKE: Concerto Grosso #2 (excerpts) |