Nik Divall and Suvan Agarwal both graduated from Oberlin in 2024. Nik went on to study theorbo and continuo with Joachim Held at the HFK in Bremen, Germany (University of the Arts), a program he has nearly completed, while Suvan, after a one-year stint at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Allan Neave and Matthew McAllister, went on to enter the MM program at Juilliard with Sharon Isben, a program he too finishes next spring. They played as a duo while students at Oberlin and decided to revisit the ensemble this year to play some new music specially created for them.

A banner at the Conservatory advertises the duo’s concert.

Suvan commissioned a work for two guitars from a Juilliard doctoral candidate in composition, Alexandros Darna. The resultant piece was the wellspring of the reunited duo. They decided to revisit a large piece written for them while still in Oberlin by fellow (then-)student, Aaron Nichols and, with that music in hand, they determined the rest of their concert program would be solo music representing their individual work.

Nik Divall plays Baroque lute on the Kulas Hall stage

We were thrilled to see Kulas Hall nearly full for this performance. The audience was keyed-up and rowdy; after all, on stage were recent students and classmates. The concert program opened with a set by Nik. He performed on a Baroque lute, a Suite by Weiss (full program at the end of the post). His playing was tender and thoughtful, replete with natural-sounding embellishments and the kinds of robust virtuoso passagework Weiss in known for. He explained a bit about the instrument to the audience before starting.

The Sarabande from the Suite was particularly beautiful, with a surprising amount of chromaticism. His performance was met with loud approval by the audience.

Suvan then took the stage. He programmed a Sonata by Haydn, in his own arrangement from the solo piano original. This music is notoriously difficult to render convincingly on the guitar, but Suvan is one of the few who has mastered the art.

As the music unfolded, his serene control was ever-present. When the music whipsawed between gentle, moderate-tempo material and blistering scales (all perfectly manageable on piano, but fiendishly difficult on guitar), he didn’t even blink, and his sound was beautiful and delicately controlled throughout.

After the pause, they returned as a duo, Nik this time with his guitar (they play matched instruments by Saeid Aboutalebian). They opened with their new commission by Alexandros Darna, a work called Slant Rhymes.

This was a highly effective large piece for two guitars, full of compelling gestures and attractive textures. They played it exuberantly. We were told from the stage that it was the American premiere of the work (they’d played it together once already in Germany).

The duo concluded with Aaron Nichols’ Suite Tooth. The piece was part of a composition studio project in which every composition student in the class created a multi-movement guitar duo (see this description of the project). Aaron’s was the most ambitious of the works created, weighing in at five movements and nearly twenty minutes of music. Its titles feature sly and winking references to various candies (via advertising campaigns and so on), and of course, there is the pun Suite/Sweet. The movements are in a range of styles, from dreamy and impressionistic, to jazzy, to minimalist, to angular modernist. It is a compelling and impressive work. Both duets are worthy of repeat listens—I truly hope they enter the canon.

Composer Aaron Nichols with the artists after the concert

The next day, we had Nik and Suvan teach master class. Leading out was Aseem Misra, with a section from Giuliani’s first Rossiniana.

Next up was the duo of Solis Dornan and Sam Schollenberger. These two classmates had been playing together as a duo for four years already, and had traversed many major repertoire pieces. This year, they are focused on playing new arrangements made by Solis. Presented in the class, first, was a Brahms Chorale Prelude. Suvan and Nik each contributed useful thoughts on how to render the unique music convincingly on two guitars.

Sam Schollenberger and Solis Dornan play for Suvan and Nik

Next up was Caden Basile, with a performance of Albeniz’ Granada. Nik and Suvan each offered thoughts.

Finally, the Schollenberger-Dornan duo returned for another Brahms Chorale Prelude. Nik and Suvan drilled down into both the musical style and the organ as an instrument in their discussion about the arrangement.

This was a highly successful class. While new at the art of master class teaching, both Nik and Suvan handled the challenge like pros. The students loved it.