Nick Russoniello (saxophone)

Nick Russoniello was born in Wollongong and commenced saxophone lessons at the age of ten. Showing an early love for Jazz, growing up Nick performed regularly in many bands and groups across the Illawarra. At the end of high school Nick was selected to perform solo at the Sydney Opera house and toured New Zealand as a soloist with the BHP Youth Orchestra.

In 2003 Nick commenced a Bachelor of Music (performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium studying classical saxophone under Christina Leonard. During his time at the Conservatorium Nick was the recipient of a number of scholarships including the Reuben F. Scard Memorial Foundation Award and the Felix Switzer Memorial Award. Nick was included on the Conservatorium’s 2006 Dean’s honours role for academic excellence. In 2006 Nick completed his Bachelor degree with first class honours.

In 2004 and 2006 Nick attended the European Summer Saxophone University in Gap, France. This internationally renowned summer school is run by Professor Claude Delangle (Professor of saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire National Superior de Musique) and at this course Nick had lessons and performed for some of the world’s finest saxophone players. In 2007 Nick was awarded a BBM award to return to London and France to have lessons with some of Europe’s finest classical saxophonists including John Harle, Jean Denis Michat, Christian Wirth, Marie Bernadette Charrier and Kyle Horche.

Nick has performed a solo recital on 2MBS radio and performs regularly with a number of ensembles outside of the Duo Histoire including the Nexas Saxophone quartet, who recently toured NSW with renowned pianist David Miller AM, sax and electronics acts T-schema, and the Gap Quartet who were finalists in the 2006 Music Viva Chamber Music award. With the assistance of the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Nick is currently persuing postgraduate studies at the Conservatorio di Musica "G.Verdi" di Milano, Italy.


Murilo Tanouye (guitar)


Born in Brazil, Murilo Tanouye began his musical pursuit by learning Jazz and Bossa Nova on the guitar, his country’s national instrument. At age thirteen, he began having lessons with a self-taught popular guitarist that showed him the guitar style of Brazilian legends such as Baden Powell and Joao Gilberto.

Three years later, Murilo received a full scholarship to study in the US with distinguished American classical guitarist Carl Bernstein. In 2003 he was accepted to pursue further studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the guidance of Gregory Pikler and decided to move to Australia.

During his studies, Murilo was awarded scholarships from the Conservatorium as well as from the University of Sydney. His final recital at the Conservatorium was extremely well received and featured notoriously difficult works from J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten and the Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe. Also, Murilo has recently finished his thesis on the guitar music of the influential Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, which earned him first-class honours.

Murilo performs extensively around Sydney, having played at venues such as the Sydney Theatre, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Sydney Verbruggen Hall, as well as participated in a number of films, musicals and cultural events.

As well as being a respected soloist, Murilo is also a keen chamber musician. He has recently toured New South Wales with renowned pianist David Miller premiering a new work by Sydney-based composer Stephen Yates. Murilo is also part of the exciting Sydney Guitar Quartet, a group renowned for expanding the genre’s repertoire with innovative transcriptions of works by Bach and Webern. The SGQ, as it is commonly known, has recently been awarded the Sydney Council Performing Arts Chamber Music Award for its work with Australian composer Philip Houghton.


“Their music is evocative, sensitive and sensual (…). Their playing pulled at the heartstrings of everyone who heard them. I cannot recommend Duo Histoire highly enough to you.”