by Nancy E. McCarthy
Luke Benedict, a classical pianist/composer from Florida and Collin Holloway, a classical guitarist from Oklahoma, first crossed paths in 2017. They were sophomore college students at Eastman School of Music in Rochester and attended the same German class.
“We bonded over an appreciation of chess and cigars and quickly became very good friends,” said Holloway. “Eastman is an intense place. Everyone in undergrad is going through very trying classes, juries, weather and bad cafeteria food together which produces some deep bonds with your classmates.”
Benedict and Holloway’s friendship developed into an unconventional musical partnership. There wasn’t much existing repertoire written for piano and guitar instrumentation, so the compositions they discovered were often obscure. “We were hungry to perform then – and still are – and began organizing concerts after performing together for only a few months,” said Holloway.
More than eight years later, the friends are still playing, performing and recording together as The Muse Duo. And it turns out that the lack of material for piano and guitar was not a permanent roadblock. Benedict, now also a professional music composer, composes contemporary works tailored to their instruments.
Prelude
Benedict, 28, grew up in Wesley Chapel in the Tampa Bay area. He began playing piano at 5 but got serious about it in high school. Benedict attended Howard W. Blake High School which offered a dynamic performing and visual arts magnet program.
At the recommendation of his piano teacher Rebecca Penneys, Benedict selected Eastman to pursue a piano performance degree. Penneys, an acclaimed classical pianist and music educator, split her time between Florida and New York. She was an Eastman School faculty member, and Benedict would be able to continue to study with her.
Benedict liked meandering around Rochester. “There was a certain ‘ground floor’ or ‘grassroots’ quality to the place, and the music that attracted me to it initially,” he said. But there was also the culture shock of the cold and gray winters to adjust to.
Forming The Muse Duo was a bright spot, but when Penneys retired, Benedict transferred to Boston Conservatory at Berklee to continue his studies. In his senior year, Benedict developed a severe case of tendonitis and couldn’t finish his degree. He went home to rest.
Benedict, who was already composing music, went back to school in 2019 and switched majors. He achieved bachelor and master’s degrees in music composition from Lynn University’s Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton. During his time at Lynn, Benedict composed his first work for The Muse Duo.
Holloway, also 28, was born and raised in Oklahoma City. He began classical guitar lessons at 9 and as a teenager studied with Matthew Denman, a nationally recognized guitarist and music educator. Holloway attended the Classen School of Advanced Studies High School where he excelled at classical guitar through the school’s visual and performing arts program.
“Being in such a positive and supportive environment facilitated a deep interest and passion in classical guitar and its repertoire,” Holloway said. It eventually led to his acceptance to several conservatories for his undergrad degree. After visiting the Eastman School, Holloway knew immediately that this was where he wanted to go.
He attained two guitar performance degrees: his bachelor’s in 2019 from Eastman and his master’s from the University of Kentucky’s College of Fine Arts in 2021. After graduation, Holloway recorded A Musical Portrait, an album of classical guitar repertoire that he felt a personal connection with and showcased his artistry.
The album was mastered by Joe Hagen, a Skaneateles native who also attended Eastman School. Hagen (with a dual degree in viola performance and audio engineering) had previously recorded Holloway’s performances to use as audition tapes.
Holloway moved to Boca Raton in 2021 to pursue the development of The Muse Duo with Benedict who was already living there.
A dynamic duo
In July 2022, the duo traveled to record their debut album, Experiments, at the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles. They recorded in Skaneateles at Hagen’s suggestion. The church had very good acoustics and a quality grand piano. Hagen engineered, mixed and mastered the album which featured entirely original compositions by Benedict. Benedict characterized these works as melodically focused and neo-classically inspired with a modernistic rhythmic drive.
Hagen’s hometown of Skaneateles proved to be an inspiring locale for the project. Conversations sparked between Holloway, Benedict, Hagen and Natalie Pang (another Eastman alum) which led to the decision to collaborate on a new annual chamber music festival in Skaneateles (see page 18).
After Experiments was released in April 2023, The Muse Duo promoted the album with an 11-date tour in Florida, Oklahoma and at the inaugural Off the Dock Chamber Festival in Skaneateles. Their concert program was a mix of traditional repertoire and Benedict’s original works.
Holloway and Benedict continue to perform, and they anticipate another album in their future. Until then, they will be releasing live recordings of single compositions on YouTube. In addition to Holloway and Benedict’s commitment to the development of The Muse Duo and the Off the Dock Chamber Festival, they both pursue solo careers. Holloway teaches guitar in his private studio and at the South Florida Conservatory. He performs as a solo artist and in various chamber groups. Benedict teaches piano privately, performs and composes works for The Muse Duo and other ensembles. Most recently, his compositions were premiered by the Lynn Philharmonia and the Oklahoma City University Classical Guitar Ensemble.
Holloway can’t imagine doing anything else. He finds his music career engaging, exciting and fulfilling. Benedict sums it up this way. “I love to play, listen and create and I get to do that for a living. I couldn’t be happier doing the thing that I enjoy most on a day-to-day basis.”
Off the Dock Chamber Festival: The Back Story
After recording the Experiments LP in the First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles in July 2022, The Muse Duo played a community concert in the church. “It’s a gorgeous concert space,” said Holloway.
It was a shared program. The first half featured The Muse Duo showcasing Benedict’s compositions which included a solo guitar sonata, piano preludes and works for piano and guitar. Hagen (viola) and Pang (piano) performed in the second half with traditional repertoire and contemporary pieces composed by Hagen.
Recording and performing in Skaneateles was the impetus for the four musical colleagues and friends to brainstorm about launching a new chamber music festival there. “The town itself is picturesque, especially in the summer, and there is an established audience of music lovers thanks to the renowned Skaneateles Festival,” said Holloway. The Skaneateles Festival, a well-established annual four-week summer music festival, is entering its 46th season. There was also a high level of musical talent: Hagen knew of multiple professional musicians from his hometown who were classically trained at prestigious music conservatories such as Eastman, Berklee and Juilliard.
The Off the Dock (OTD) Chamber Festival made its debut the following summer. “Our vision was to create a platform for emerging artists to jump ‘off the dock’ into their careers while contributing to the rich musical legacy of Skaneateles,” Hagen explained. The festival would provide performance opportunities for new and mid-career musicians and ensembles. Programming would encompass a variety of genres: classical, jazz, Baroque, contemporary and folk.
Their chosen festival title was also meaningful to the locals: Skaneateles Central High School seniors have an annual tradition of jumping off the dock into the lake after their graduation ceremony at Cliff Park.
That inaugural OTD festival in July 2023 was held at the First Presbyterian Church with four concerts and two lecture recitals over four days. The program featured the co-founders plus Skaneateles natives Katherine Krebs (soprano), Matthew Payne (baritone), violinist Jimmy Drancsak, and bassist Sam Smith and other artists and ensembles not local to the Finger Lakes Region. The 2024 festival grew to five days and offered eight concert events in two venues and also included musicians with regional roots.
Hagen is the festival’s executive director, Holloway plays the role of artist and event manager, Benedict is communications strategist and Pang is digital content specialist. “The festival is truly a collaborative effort. Each of us have slowly but surely found out what we are best at contributing to the team and solidified our roles,” said Hagen. The organization anticipates attaining nonprofit status by the end of this year which will boost their fundraising efforts.
The 2025 festival, set for June 24 to 28, continues to grow. The Muse Duo will showcase new repertoire. Hagen and Pang will perform in collaboration with other artists. Other highlights include a Skaneateles Alumni concert featuring professional musicians who are Skaneateles Central High School graduates and Room to Spare, a Boston-based violin/piano duo.
For full program and more festival details visit offthedockchamber.com. Follow the festival on Instagram @offthedockchamber.
Find out more at themuseduo.com. Follow them on Instagram @muse_duo.
