There are pianists. Then there are artists such as Daria Fedorova and Ilya Takser. Breathing together as a pair of lungs belonging to separate bodies, their seamless pas de deux unfolded upon the keys of a nine-foot Bechstein grand piano at Montreal’s Studio Dissonances last fall. Comfortably nested in an intimate space, the audience listened intently—transfixed.
“The trick is to sing our parts together in rehearsal,” said Takser after the performance. Sporting a tweed jacket and fashionable glasses, all in shades of marine blue, Takser was the perfect duo companion. Listening to and blending his own sound with that of his professional and life partner, Daria Fedorova, he provided the depth and resonance of the secondo piano part. Equally flexible and responsive, Fedorova’s shimmering tone emerged in a lovely program of piano duo favourites from Debussy, Bach, Brahms, Grieg, and others. What could have been a standard four-hand program turned into a master class of artistry and ensemble playing—confirming the oh-so-famous adage: it is not what you play, but how you play it.
Daria Fedorova and Ilya Takser.
Their story is one of emigration and of finding success in the new world. After graduating from the Academic Music College of the Moscow State Conservatory in 2009, they arrived in Canada in 2010. Forged for the competition circuit, they encountered another culture of playing. “Our teacher, Richard Raymond, demonstrated incredible artistry at the piano. All we had to do was absorb it all!” says Fedorova. “We’re very grateful for the training we got at the Conservatoire (de musique de Montréal, or CMM),” adds Takser. “The city brought the final pieces to a puzzle we began in Moscow, adding charm and flavour to our musicianship.”
Melding their thorough Russian training with the tonal malleability of the French school, Takser and Fedorova represent the best of both worlds. This quality was recognized by the CMM jury which awarded them an unprecedented joint Grand Prix when they completed their master’s degrees in 2013.
Following a lead for a job offer, the couple relocated to Vancouver in 2014, where they founded the Fedorova & Takser Piano Studio. “After three months of working at entry-level music schools, we took on a loan and opened our own piano studio,” says Takser. “Our slogan is simple: It is easy to get in, but difficult to stay,” he adds with a twinkling smile. Underneath the humour lies the duo’s adherence to a rigorous pedagogical approach striving for the highest standards. Composed of both professionals and amateur pianists, their students receive two lessons per week, participate in national and international competitions, and pursue their education at top musical institutions.
Ilya Takser and Daria Fedorova.
While their pedagogical work constitutes a stable income base, their creative and business endeavours also include: touring, recordings, compositions and arrangements for four hands or two pianos; Takser’s podcast; and their work for the non-profit Vancouver Chopin Society. Much of the duo’s work outside of teaching ties together varied skills. “We’ve learned to do everything by ourselves: editing audio, video, Instagram, websites,” says Fedorova.
Fedorova and Takser joined the Vancouver Chopin Society’s board of directors in November 2024 and have since stepped into the roles of director of artistic and educational programs and chief content executive, respectively. They’re responsible for designing the society’s marketing and media strategy, including Instagram content, and forming international partnerships. The society will host concerts for Warsaw Chopin Competition winners and finalists in 2026-27.
Takser also enjoys his work on a podcast which has emerged since the pandemic. Framed by his cordial and engaging conversation style, his interviews with pianists like Bruce Liu, Lucas Debargue and Antonio Pompa-Baldi have garnered close to 100,000 views. The duo’s growing YouTube channel counts almost 4,000 subscribers and more than 300,000 views so far.
Daria Fedorova and Ilya Takser.
This year, Fedorova and Takser will perform, promote and release a variety of recordings: Nikolai Kapustin’s Triptych Op.145 for two pianos (released in March); an original two-piano transcription of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and the complete set of J. S. Bach’s concerti for two, three, and four keyboards, the latter in collaboration with pianist Richard Raymond and baroque music violinist Olivier Brault. Adding to their 2024 album, Golden Duets, and their complete sets of Rachmaninoff and Brahms piano ensemble music, the duo’s bustling productivity encompasses a vast portion of the repertoire for piano four hands and two pianos.
The Bach concerto project will include a tour to Montreal in 2025-26, marking 340 years since the composer’s birth. The duo’s new single, Three for Two, is the world premiere recording of an unpublished manuscript by Russian classical/jazz composer Nikolai Kapustin—his Op. 145 (Triptych) for two pianos, four hands. Finally, in addition to Pictures, the Mussorgsky album features Dawn on Moscow River as well as a three-movement concertino including both Rimsky-Korsakov’s and Mussorgsky’s versions of Night on the Bald Mountain. Touchingly, this album also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the partners’ first meeting as students in September of 2005.
Audiences can listen to Fedorova and Takser Piano Duo’s Triptych Op.145 at www.genuinclassics.com
