Aaron Haas and Anastasia Malliaras of Duo Apollon perform art song repertoire for voice and guitar, as well as transcriptions from piano. The repertoire originally written for guitar and voice is less well-known than that for piano and voice, and showcases song cycles which are rarely heard, while the transcriptions reinterpret classic art song with the unique sound of the guitar-voice duo.
The pair met while studying music at the University of Southern California. They began by performing The Divan of Moses ibn Ezra by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. After playing a number of recitals at USC, they began to branch out and play at various venues throughout Los Angeles. The Sundays Live series at LACMA is one of the first concert series that the duo was featured on. They were also selected as winners of the 2019 Beverly Hills National Auditions, which gave them the opportunity to perform in various concert series in Los Angeles and the surrounding communities. Since then, they perform regularly in concert series throughout Southern California and are in the process of recording their debut album.
Aaron Haas is a classical guitarist by trade and a storyteller by nature, coming from a family of singer-songwriters. He began his studies at Skidmore College, picking up the classical guitar in his sophomore year, at the late age of 19. From there he moved to Milan, Italy where he had the good fortune to study with Italian virtuoso Lorenzo Micheli and later Oscar Ghiglia in Siena. He was then awarded teaching assistantships at both the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Southern California, where he earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees in classical guitar performance. In addition to his activities as an avid soloist and chamber musician, Aaron’s equal passion lies in meditation and silence, which he feels brings a deeper, more heartfelt dimension to the musical experience.
Soprano Anastasia Malliaras, eager and grateful to return to the stage, is gracefully exploring new depths of her artistry and voice. With a beautiful blend of warm and bright colors, her timbre is distinguishable and vocal tone elegant and natural. Her voice has led her to play the operatic roles of Nannetta, Olympia, Zerbinetta and Marie to name a few. She has place in prestigious competitions including the Loren L. Zachary Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Los Angeles District and Western Regionals. In the spring of 2023, Anastasia will be a young artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis where she will cover the role of Despina in Mozart's Cosí fan tutte.