Carles & Sofia Piano Duo
Carles Lama and Sofia Cabruja form the Carles & Sofia Piano Duo. Both are from Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Carles was born in 1970 and Sofia in 1965. They began playing together in 1987 and have since given four-hands piano recitals, two-pianos and orchestra concerts across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
They studied in their hometown and then in Barcelona at the Liceu Conservatory. In 1992 they won scholarships to study abroad, first at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and later at The Hartt School in Connecticut. They acknowledge the influence of Nina Svetlanova and Luiz de Moura Castro as major teachers. Their first public performance as a duo was in 1987, and they have built an international career performing in many prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, as well as concerts in Montevideo and other cities.
The duo has performed with various orchestras, teaming up for two-piano and four-hands concertos. Highlights include Bach’s concerto for two pianos with the National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur (2004), the world premiere of Thomas McIntosh’s Concerto for piano four hands with the London City Chamber Orchestra (2007), and Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra with the State Hermitage Orchestra (2011).
They have participated in special projects such as the Bach Marathon in Moscow (2012) and Beethoven symphonies arranged for piano four hands in Madrid (2013). Their repertoire covers Bach to contemporary works, with a special focus on French, Russian, and German music, and frequently features Spanish pieces by Albéniz and de Falla. They have inspired and premiered works by contemporary composers like John Carmichael, Daniel Basomba, Thomas McIntosh, and Françoise Choveaux.
Carles & Sofia are recording artists for KNS-Classical and have also appeared on ABC Classic FM, Catalunya Música, Radio France, and Radio Prague. They blend performance with teaching, giving master classes and lectures around the world. Notable teaching engagements include lectures in Tokyo (2001), workshops in Kuala Lumpur (2005), master classes in Singapore (2009), and sessions in Texas (2013) and Italy (2013).
Beyond performance, they have founded and directed several festivals and concert series. In 2001 they received an UNICEF honorary distinction from Margarita de Borbón for their humanitarian work. In 2012 they were recognized as Steinway Artists. They founded Concerts4Good: Music on a Mission in 2010, an international series of solidarity concerts, with the first edition taking place in Porto in 2013. They also mentor young musicians on their path in music.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:07 (CET).