Duo Riso and Garden Unit Duo

Duo Riso was co-founded at the start of 2023 by Evan Kopca, clarinet, and Zaira Castillo, piano. Riso is derived from the Latin word for 'laughter.' It symbolizes the joy and camaraderie we share during rehearsals and performances, where laughter flows freely alongside our music-making. The duo is passionate about exploring and expanding the limits of the piano & clarinet sound and sharing it through standard and non-traditional settings. Additionally, they are also eager to involve artists of different disciplines and engage in interdisciplinary projects to create unique and unusual experiences for the audience and the performers. 

Garden Unit is a Chicago-based clarinet/saxophone duo formed by Julia Ansolabehere and Cameron Roberts, who met during undergrad at Northwestern University in 2016 and have been collaborators since. Garden Unit is the latest incarnation of their creative partnership, debuting at Thirsty Ears Festival in 2022 and quickly developing a repertoire through collaborations with some of Chicago's leading young composers. Haile…