About Us
What is Duo AO? Duo AO is many things — a partnership, an experiment, a home of artistic discourse, and at its core, a band of two pianists: Jas Ogiste and Kenji Anderson. Formed in their sophomore year at Oberlin College & Conservatory, Duo AO is devoted to the fun and funky, with repertoire ranging from Robert Schumann to Philip Glass to Mitski. As double-degree students (Ogiste studies Environmental Studies and Anderson, English, in addition to both their studies in Piano Performance), Ogiste and Anderson are always interested in one thing, and also another: well-loved classics, and music that has yet to be heard; traditional recital venues, and the stages of their favorite rock-stars; the things they know, and the things they don’t. Duo AO was recently awarded Oberlin Conservatory’s Flint Initiative Grant for their residency in New York City where they received coachings from duo-pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton.
Jas Ogiste
Jas Ogiste is a fourth-year student at Oberlin College & Conservatory where she pursues degrees in Environmental Studies and classical Piano Performance. Jas was born and raised in Harlem, New York where she attended the Bloomingdale School of Music, studying with Judith Olson, and the Harlem School of the Arts, studying with Delilah Khudad-Zade. At Oberlin, Jas studies with Haewon Song. During the summer of 2021, she attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival as a collaborative pianist. Jas is also a member of Oberlin Conservatory’s Black Musicians Guild (OCBMG) and Latinx Music Union (LMU).
Kenji Anderson
Kenji Anderson is a fourth-year double-degree student studying Piano Performance and English at Oberlin College & Conservatory. Born and raised in Emporia, Kansas, Anderson studied piano with Slawomir Dobrzanski and Karen Kushner, and he currently studies with Robert Shannon. Last summer, he was a fellow at the Decoda Chamber Music Festival. He firmly believes collaboration is the heart of classical music; he is one-half of the piano duo Duo AO and frequently plays with instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers. Anderson is invested in the synthesis of music and literature and has written on topics ranging from Stravinsky-Balanchine ballets to the musical similarities of popstar Charli XCX and composer Philip Glass.
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