The Alturas Duo is one of the most engaging ensembles performing in the chamber music world today. The only group of its kind, the Duo was formed to bring together the worlds of South American folk, traditional classical and new music on the unusual combination of viola, charango and guitar. Founded by Canadian guitarist, Scott Hill and Chilean violist and charango player, Carlos Boltes, the Alturas Duo has performed extensively in Europe as well as North, Central and South America at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, the Smithsonian Institute, the Music Mountain Chamber Music Series, La Guitarra California, La Maison de Mai in Paris, and the 34th International Viola Congress. Always interested in collaborations and new musical experiences, the Duo has worked with artists and ensembles as diverse as guitarist and composer, Horacio Salinas; charango virtuoso, Ernesto Cavour; flutist, Nicole Esposito; quena virtuoso, Marcelo Pena-Lobo; pianist, Polly Ferman; Argentine bandoneón legend, Daniel Binelli; the Voce Choir of Hartford and the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Throughout their career, they have been passionate proponents of new music. This earned them the 2010 CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and has led them to premier dozens of pieces including recent works by Javier Farías, Frank Wallace, José Lezcano, Russell Nadel, Thomas Schuttenhelm and Ronald Pearl. The Duo took First Prize at the 2006 New England International Chamber Music Competition and are currently "Artists in Residence" for the Intake Organization in Stamford, CT.
The 2016-17 concert season will see the Duo maintaining a busy schedule of performances, master classes and lectures as well as premiering pieces by Heather Gilligan, Ronald Pearl, Dan Roman, Joshua Hummel, Thomas Schuttenhelm, and Javier Farías.
The name Alturas (Spanish for heights) is derived from the poem "Alturas de Macchu Picchu" by Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).
