The Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society is thrilled to present Duokado for an evening of cello and classical guitar at Christ Church Cobble Hill. Featuring BKCGS president and co-founder Matt Kaplan on guitar and Mark Humburg on cello, the program showcases new and rarely heard works by Leo Brouwer, Radamés Gnattali, Allen Cohen, and Jaime Zenamon.
Fresh off recording the U.S. premiere of Brouwer’s Lorquianas, Duokado is excited to share this work on the program alongside a composition by Zenamon that has only been performed once before by Duokado at the America's Society of New York with the composer in the audience! The evening will also feature Allen Cohen’s incredible Duo-Partita in four movements and will conclude with a fun piece work for two guitars and cello by the Brazilian composer Radamés Gnattali, featuring special guest guitarist and BKCGS co-founder Pierre Ferreyra-Mansilla.
About the Artists
Matthew Kaplan is a Peruvian American classical guitarist based in New York City. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music from Mannes College – The New School for Music, where he studied with Frederic Hand and Michael Newman in New York City.
He has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, the Kimmel Center, the DiMenna Center, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, and the Morgan Library and Museum. Internationally, Kaplan has performed in Perú, Italy, Chile, the Philippines and Spain, including a solo appearance with the Rome Festival Orchestra and a fellowship performance at the Lanciano International Guitar Seminar.
In 2021, Kaplan released Zenamon – A Chamber Music Collection, a double album of chamber works by Bolivian composer Jaime Zenamon, recorded with New York City colleagues (featuring Mark Humburg and Pierre Ferreyra Mansilla!).
An advocate for community and the classical guitar, Kaplan co-founded the Brooklyn ClassiGuitar Society in 2022, where he currently serves as president (www.bkcgs.org).
In 2023, Maestro Leo Brouwer—one of the most important figures in the guitar world—dedicated a new solo work, El Mito de Sísifo, to Kaplan, who premiered and recorded the piece in 2025. The work will serve as the keystone of a new album to be released in June 2026, featuring world-premiere performances of solo and chamber music by Maestro Brouwer (featuring Mark Humburg and Pierre Ferreyra Mansilla!).
In 2024, Kaplan founded the Brooklyn Classical Guitar Studio (www.brooklynclassicalguitar.com), where he maintains an active teaching practice. His work with students emphasizes individualized instruction, healthy technique, and the development of artistic voice, alongside a strong connection to the broader classical guitar community.
-
A native New Yorker, Mark Humburg has always had a fascination with music, and at the age of 5 embarked on his cello playing adventure. Since then, he has developed a passion for cello and chamber music in particular, and has gone on to play at venues local and across the world in Europe and China. In addition to regular concertizing, Mark brings his love of cello and the intricate language of music to students young and old through his carefully practiced art of teaching.
Mark graduated from LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, where his piano trio won the prestigious Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society's Young Artists competition. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Cello from Mannes, The New School for Music. While at Mannes, he and Matthew Kaplan formed their Cello-Guitar ensemble “Duokado,” which still plays regularly across the city. Mark is also half of the cello duo “Duo Cellissimo,” which recently celebrated their 20 year anniversary and plays all along the East Coast and around Europe. His work can be heard on a diverse collection of albums ranging from classical composer Allen Shawn, to rock band Emanuel and the Fear and beyond.
Mark shares his passion for performance and chamber music with a dedication to teaching. A trained and SAA certified teacher, he believes great music is accessible to everyone. Mark currently teaches privately out of his studio in Manhattan, as well as at the Kaufman Music Center's Lucy Moses School and the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale. Outside of music, Mark spends his time reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, and enjoys playing board games and tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons. He plays a cello made in 1900 by Richard Henry Knopf originally used to play in silent movie pit orchestras.