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Sunday, September 20 2026

Mossflower Duo

Luis Ortiz, Piano
Futaba Niekawa, piano

Favorite Tunes of the
Piano Four-hands Repertoire

Mossflower Duo’s musical offering consists of some of the most iconic and famous piano-four hands music, including three French composers (Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc), two German composers (J. Strauss and Brahms), and culminating in the festive Overture to Candide by Bernstein. Please join us for an evening of duo delight!

Program

Johannes Brahms
Selections from Liebeslieder Opus 52a:
(6,8,10, 14, 11)

Claude Debussy
Petite Suite

Francis Poulenc
Sonata

Johann Strauss
Overture to Die Fledermaus

Gabriel Fauré
Dolly Suite

Leonard Bernstein
Overture to Candide

About the Artists

American pianist Luis F. Ortiz made his international debut with a 2010 recital in Miraflores, Peru. Winner of the Round Top International Festival Concerto Competition, the New England Philharmonic Young Artists Competition and others, Mr. Ortiz holds an M.M. in Collaborative Piano from The Juilliard School, a B.M. in Piano Performance from The Eastman School of Music, a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Rochester, and is a graduate of Phillips Academy Andover. He has most recently performed as a guest artist at the Hidden Valley Seminar and has joined the faculty of the Perlman Music Program. Mr. Ortiz performs frequently around New York City and is currently working as a studio pianist at the Juilliard School.

Classical pianist Futaba Niekawa seeks true expression in music through her artistry as a versatile pianist, chamber musician, and mentor. Her performances have taken her across North America, Europe, and Asia. To date, she has released five recordings encompassing solo, four-hands, duo, and chamber music from classical to newly composed works. She has served on faculty as a collaborative pianist at the Banff Centre, New England Conservatory, Meadowmount School of Music, Indiana University’s Summer String Academy, and the Perlman Music Program. From 2015-2025, Ms. Niekawa taught as a Lecturer in Chamber and Collaborative Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano, directing the collaborative piano program at the University of Maryland College Park.