ST-duo
ST-DUO (Sofia Sakhnova and Antonina Luzko) are among the most extraordinary pianists of the current generation. The duo performs popular works by composers of past centuries, pieces by contemporary composers, and original arrangements of classical masterpieces.
Confident ensemble partnership, coherence, stage presence, and a well-established image—this is what distinguishes the creative duo of Sofia and Antonina, graduates of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, from other young performers.
The pianists successfully continue the tradition of duet music, a genre so popular throughout time, offering both professionals and music lovers finely crafted, conceptual concert programs. The duo's performances are often accompanied by choreographic numbers, which create exquisite musical-theatrical performances. The ensemble's repertoire includes original works for piano duet by composers from various eras, as well as their own transcriptions.
Sofia Sakhnova and Antonina Luzko are graduates of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. The duo made their debut in October 2016 at the Academy's Concert Hall.
Among the most notable events in the duo's creative biography are a solo concert at the international festival in Dubai (UAE) as part of the Middle East Classical Music Academy (2021),
a performance at the award ceremony of the Themis Highest Legal Prize (2021, 2022)
a performance at the award ceremony of the Star of Italy (Ordine stella d'Italia) (2021).
With the support of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, the duo was organized on an extensive tour of Russian cities (2021-2022).
Since 2022, the duo has participated in the 16th, 18th, and 19th international music festivals of maestro Denis Matsuev "Stars on Baikal" in Irkutsk.
In 2024, the duo took part in Denis Matsuev's "Dialogue of Generations" festival for the first time and performed as part of the festival in Ufa, Samara, and Pskov.
In 2024 and 2025, the duo performed solo concerts at the Symphonic Middle East Festival at the Zabeel Theatre in Dubai, UAE.
In June 2024, the duo received a grant from the Presidential Foundation for Support of Cultural Initiatives (PFSI) for the project "Preservation and Promotion of Russian Piano Ensemble Performance of the Gnessin School."
In November 2024, the duo took part in the international Eurasian Stars Musical Festival, which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The ST-duo piano duo has performed with such renowned conductors as Yuri Medyanik, Maxim Kachalov, Alexey Rubin, Sergey Sviridov, Alexey Galea Cavalazzo (Malta), Ivan Nikiforchin, Denis Vlasenko, Dmitry Kryukov, Alibek Kabdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan), Anton Shnitkin, Alexey Smirnov, and Yuri Tkachenko.
They have performed with the Tyumen Symphony Orchestra (2022), the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the North Caucasus Philharmonic named after V.I. Safonov (2023), Irkutsk Governor's Symphony Orchestra (2023, 2024), Chamber Orchestra "Art of Music" (2024), State Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan (2024), Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Samara Philharmonic (2024), Governor's Symphony Orchestra of the Pskov Region (2024), National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan (2024), Far Eastern Academic Symphony Orchestra, Khabarovsk (2025), Trans-Ural Symphony Orchestra, Kurgan (2025), Orenburg State Symphony Orchestra, Orenburg (2025).
Concerts by Sofia Sakhnova and Antonina Luzko take place on the stages of the Moscow Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, and many cities in Russia, Europe, and Asia.
The ST-duo has won several competitions, including the VIII Maria Yudina International Piano Ensemble Competition (St. Petersburg, 2017), the VI Taneyev International Chamber Ensemble Competition, and the Yamaha Special Prize for Best Piano Duo (Kaluga-Moscow, 2017), the XXVIII Roma International Piano Competition (Rome, Italy, 2018), an online competition, and the MEDICI International Music Competition (UK, London, 2022).
Sofia and Antonina have collaborated with Denis Matsuev's New Names Foundation, Vladimir Spivakov's Foundation, Yuri Rozum's Foundation, the Open Sea Foundation, the Arithmetic of Good Foundation, and the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC).
ST-duo actively collaborates with and performs music by contemporary composers. Their repertoire includes works by A. Rosenblat, A. Shor, A. Mukhametrakhimova, and G. Pelecis.
Confident ensemble partnership, coherence, stage presence, and a well-established image—this is what distinguishes the creative duo of Sofia and Antonina, graduates of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, from other young performers.
The pianists successfully continue the tradition of duet music, a genre so popular throughout time, offering both professionals and music lovers finely crafted, conceptual concert programs. The duo's performances are often accompanied by choreographic numbers, which create exquisite musical-theatrical performances. The ensemble's repertoire includes original works for piano duet by composers from various eras, as well as their own transcriptions.
Sofia Sakhnova and Antonina Luzko are graduates of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. The duo made their debut in October 2016 at the Academy's Concert Hall.
Among the most notable events in the duo's creative biography are a solo concert at the international festival in Dubai (UAE) as part of the Middle East Classical Music Academy (2021),
a performance at the award ceremony of the Themis Highest Legal Prize (2021, 2022)
a performance at the award ceremony of the Star of Italy (Ordine stella d'Italia) (2021).
With the support of the European Foundation for Support of Culture, the duo was organized on an extensive tour of Russian cities (2021-2022).
Since 2022, the duo has participated in the 16th, 18th, and 19th international music festivals of maestro Denis Matsuev "Stars on Baikal" in Irkutsk.
In 2024, the duo took part in Denis Matsuev's "Dialogue of Generations" festival for the first time and performed as part of the festival in Ufa, Samara, and Pskov.
In 2024 and 2025, the duo performed solo concerts at the Symphonic Middle East Festival at the Zabeel Theatre in Dubai, UAE.
In June 2024, the duo received a grant from the Presidential Foundation for Support of Cultural Initiatives (PFSI) for the project "Preservation and Promotion of Russian Piano Ensemble Performance of the Gnessin School."
In November 2024, the duo took part in the international Eurasian Stars Musical Festival, which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The ST-duo piano duo has performed with such renowned conductors as Yuri Medyanik, Maxim Kachalov, Alexey Rubin, Sergey Sviridov, Alexey Galea Cavalazzo (Malta), Ivan Nikiforchin, Denis Vlasenko, Dmitry Kryukov, Alibek Kabdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan), Anton Shnitkin, Alexey Smirnov, and Yuri Tkachenko.
They have performed with the Tyumen Symphony Orchestra (2022), the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the North Caucasus Philharmonic named after V.I. Safonov (2023), Irkutsk Governor's Symphony Orchestra (2023, 2024), Chamber Orchestra "Art of Music" (2024), State Orchestra of the Republic of Bashkortostan (2024), Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Samara Philharmonic (2024), Governor's Symphony Orchestra of the Pskov Region (2024), National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan (2024), Far Eastern Academic Symphony Orchestra, Khabarovsk (2025), Trans-Ural Symphony Orchestra, Kurgan (2025), Orenburg State Symphony Orchestra, Orenburg (2025).
Concerts by Sofia Sakhnova and Antonina Luzko take place on the stages of the Moscow Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky, the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, and many cities in Russia, Europe, and Asia.
The ST-duo has won several competitions, including the VIII Maria Yudina International Piano Ensemble Competition (St. Petersburg, 2017), the VI Taneyev International Chamber Ensemble Competition, and the Yamaha Special Prize for Best Piano Duo (Kaluga-Moscow, 2017), the XXVIII Roma International Piano Competition (Rome, Italy, 2018), an online competition, and the MEDICI International Music Competition (UK, London, 2022).
Sofia and Antonina have collaborated with Denis Matsuev's New Names Foundation, Vladimir Spivakov's Foundation, Yuri Rozum's Foundation, the Open Sea Foundation, the Arithmetic of Good Foundation, and the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC).
ST-duo actively collaborates with and performs music by contemporary composers. Their repertoire includes works by A. Rosenblat, A. Shor, A. Mukhametrakhimova, and G. Pelecis.
