Peter Martens was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1971 and began his cello studies at the age of 8. Whilst still at school and studying with Dalena Roux at Stellenbosch University, he won a scholarship to participate in the World Youth Orchestra in Michigan U.S.A. where he led the cello section. He continued his studies at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, with Prof Heidi Litchauer from 1991 to 1993 where he also had master classes from William Pleeth, Ivan Monighetti and Heinrich Schiff. During this time he performed extensively as solo cellist for the Austrian Ensemble for Modern Music and as a member of the chamber orchestra, Salzburger Musici. His career as orchestral cellist saw him occupying principal positions in several South African orchestras as well as having worked with the Mozarteum Orchestra in Salzburg and the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. He currently divides his time between the management of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival and the Endler Concert Series at Stellenbosch University, a busy chamber music and solo schedule as well as being an active family man.
His first concerto engagement was with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15. He has recorded for the South African Broadcasting Corporation as well as for “Cello Classics” of London with the sextet “I Grandi Violoncellisti”. He is a member of the Amici String Quartet and Bass-ically Brilliant with bassist Leon Bosch. Other chamber music activities have included partnerships with the late Lamar Crowson, Nina Schumann, Luis Magalhães, Benjamin Schmid, Daniel Rowland, Tom Carroll, Suzanne Martens, Ivry Gitlis and members of the Osiris Piano Trio, Amsterdam. As Chamber Musician, he has participated in Festivals in Russia, Holland, Austria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Portugal as well has having performed in the U.K and U.S.A. Concerto engagements have resulted in collaborations with a number of fine conductors including Victor Yampolsky, Bernard Gueller, Douglas Boyd and Jonas Alber. In 2008 he formed the highly acclaimed Stellenbosch University Camerata, whose first CD recording released by TwoPianists Records won a SAMA in the only classical music category in 2010. He has recently released a double album of the complete Beethoven Sonatas with pianist Luis Magalhães that is available internationally on the TwoPianists label. Including much praise in significant international publications, this album won the 2011 Classical music SAMA. South African composers including Hendrik Hofmeyr and Paul Hanmer amongst others have written for him, the most notable composition being the Cello Concerto by Allan Stephenson. This was recorded with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra for CD by Meridian Records and released in London in October 2011.
Peter plays on a Locky Hill Cello and is married to violinist, Suzanne Martens with two children.

Nina Schumann was in born into a musical family and received her early music tuition from Rona Rupert and Lamar Crowson. Nina's first appearance with an orchestra was at the age of 15, and her talent captured the attention of the public when she won the Fifth National Music Competition for high school pupils in 1988. She went on to win the Oude Meester Music Prize (1989), the Forte Competition (1990), and during 1991 both the Wooltru Scholarship and the Adcock-Ingram Music Prize. She has over 140 concerto performances with orchestras in South Africa, Germany, Portugal, Scot- land, Armenia and the U.S.A. to her credit, and some 40 concertos in her repertoire.
In 1993 Ms Schumann won the SAMRO Overseas Scholarship Competition and was awarded the Jules Kramer and Harry Crossley Bursaries for Overseas Study by the University of Cape Town. She crowned these prizes by winning the sought-after SABC Music Prize as well as the Oude Meester National Chamber Music Competition. International prizes followed: she won the prizes for the Best South African Pianist in the 1993 UNISA International Piano Competition, Finalist and Special Prize Winner at the Shreveport Concerto Competition (1996) and Third Prize in the Casa- blanca International Piano Competition (1997). After completing her MMus at UCLA, Nina enrolled for the Doctorate of Music at the University of North Texas under the tutelage of Van Cliburn-win- ner, Vladimir Viardo. She received several academic prizes: Dean's Medal (UCT), Best Performer (UCLA), Best Performer (UNT), Best Pianist (UNT) and Best Doctoral Student (UNT). Following her appointment as Associate Professor and Head of Piano at the University of Stellenbosch in 1999, Nina transferred her Doctorate to UCT from which she graduated in 2005. In 2009 she was awarded the UCT Rector's Award for Excellence in recognition of contribution to the music field.
Solo-career and academic life aside, Nina has formed an internationally recognized duo with her husband, Luis Magalhaes. Their own record label, TwoPianists, has recently signed a distribution contract with Naxos, thereby ensuring immediate international market access for the South African artists they are committed to record.

Described as possessing a “wonderfully full sound” (American Record Guide) and a “polished, refined technique” (Allmusic.com), Luis Magalhães has achieved critical acclaim as both a soloist and a chamber musician. Born in Portugal and currently residing in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Luis’s career as a pianist displays the cosmopolitanism typical of successful 21st century musicianship. Luis has played extensively across Europe with recent engagements in Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, his native Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, amongst others. Beyond Europe, he has appeared on stages in Brazil, South Africa, China, Japan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and on numerous occasions, the United States. Reflecting his eminence as an artist of global standing, Luis was bestowed the honour of being named a Yamaha International Artist. Luis is active as a studio musician, and has collaborated with many remarkable recording artists including Frank Stadler (violin), Daniel Rowland (violin), Priya Mitchell (violin), Gareth Lubbe (viola), Julian Arp (cello) Peter Martens (cello), and James Austin Smith (oboe). The recording with Martens, featuring the complete cello sonatas of L. v. Beethoven, was awarded a coveted South African Music Award (SAMA) in 2011, while both violin recordings have received glowing reviews in The Strad. As one half of the Schumann-Magalhães duo, better known as TwoPianists Piano Duo, Luis has also released a further four critically acclaimed CDs, with another soon to be released. This collaboration with his wife, Nina Schumann, has been compared to the celebrated Ashkenazy-Previn and Argerich-Freire duos (American Record Guide). Luis’s further activities in the recording industry include the co-founding of the independent label TwoPianists Records. The result has been both local and international accolades, such as a German Record Critic’s Award in 2011. Luis is also amongst the musicians involved in the pioneering Korngold Project, which features high quality recordings of the chamber music of Erich Korngold, as performed by some of the most exciting artists of this generation. Luis’s immersion in the world of classical music recording has extended to the role of producer, to which he brings a wealth of experience as a practicing musician of the highest calibre. As a promoter of classical music in South Africa, Luis is a co-founder of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival, which has since 2004 become the premier classical music festival on African soil. He is also a co-founder of the biannual Stellenbosch International Piano Symposium. Eminent musicianship always leaves a legacy in the form of tuition. Luis himself was a student of maestro Vladimir Viardo at the University of North Texas. He has since gone to teach students who have scooped up major awards and placings in South African competitions, such as the MUSIQ Competition and the UNISA National Piano Competition. Luis was awarded a DMus in Piano Performance from the University of Cape Town in 2011, and continues his association with university musical life with his appointment to an Associate Professorship at the University of Stellenbosch. Luis has also given extensive masterclass tuition including lessons at New York’s fabled Juilliard School and numerous universities across Europe, Asia and the United States. As an expert pianist and educator, Luis has also served in the jury of many competitions including the prestigious Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition for Young Musicians (2012).