Duo Terre de Sienne showcases the finest works for cello and piano, from the Romantic French repertoire through contemporary compositions. Forged out of a love of French culture and cross-cultural collaboration by cellist Velleda Miragias and pianist Mika Tanaka in 2007, Duo Terre de Sienne has performed extensively across the United States and France, receiving critical acclaim for their "impeccable technical mastery" and "sense of grace and free expression" (le Confolentais).

 

Miragias and Tanaka's concert schedule has brought them to Boston's Symphony Hall and King's Chapel, Cambridge's Pickman Hall, as well as the Château de Cremeaux, Parc Archeologique des thermes de Chassenon, and Manoir du Vaumadeuc in France. In addition to their focus on the traditional concert works of Brahms, Beethoven, and Fauré, Duo Terre de Sienne seeks to expand the repertoire for this instrumentation, actively commissioning new works by Paul Brust, Yohei Kurihara, and Tanaka—herself an avid composer.

 

With a commitment to community outreach and educational initiatives, Miragias and Tanaka have performed at the Dana Farber Institute and have given recitals and master classes at the Waldorf schools in Belmont and Beverly, Massachusetts, as well as the Artisan Childcare Center—a comprehensive music-immersion program for infants and toddlers founded by Miragias and her husband.

 

In late 2014, Duo Terre de Sienne embarked on a tour of New England and New York, as well as their first tour of Japan, where they were featured in venues across Tokyo and Hakone. Praised by the head of REI Audio as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Miragias and Tanaka's roster of performances included intimate recitals, master classes, and a special performance at a charity event supporting victims of the 2011 tsunami.