CELLO DUELLO Maintz & Schmidt: Fredericksburg Music Festival & School

TWOCELLOS in Historic Fredericksburg. The celebrated Cello Duello performs in the stunning Historic Admiral Nimitz Ballroom.
Fredericksburg Music Festival & School presents
CELLO DUELLO
Jens Peter Maintz & Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt

Saturday, June 13, 2026 — 7:30 PM
National Museum of the Pacific War - Historic Admiral Nimitz Ballroom
Join us for an unforgettable summer evening in the heart of the Texas Hill Country as internationally celebrated cellists Jens Peter Maintz and Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt bring their legendary duo project Cello Duello to the stunning historic setting of the Historic Admiral Nimitz Ballroom.

Guests are warmly invited to arrive early to enjoy the town, stroll through the shops, and relax with a glass of wine before the music begins at 7:30 PM.

Described by the Berliner Zeitung as “cooperation rather than contention,” Cello Duello is both title and concept: a virtuosic musical dialogue between two master cellists whose artistry blurs the line between chamber music, theater, and improvisatory brilliance. Their parts are perfectly equal — themes pass rapidly between instruments with astonishing precision, wit, and spontaneity, creating what the Rhein-Neckar Zeitung called “an utter artistic pleasure.”

The ensemble was born from friendship and artistic collaboration. While studying together in the class of legendary pedagogue David Geringas in Lübeck, Maintz and Schmidt adapted Paganini’s Moses Fantasy for two cellos as the finale to one of their teacher’s marathon masterclasses — and Cello Duello was born.

Since then, the duo has appeared on stages around the world and at many of the most prestigious cello festivals internationally, including the Kronberg Cello Festival, the Cello Biennale Amsterdam, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, and the Rutesheim Cello Academy.

Set against the warm glow of the vineyards and the beauty of a Texas summer evening, this promises to be one of the signature musical experiences of the 2026 festival season.

Music begins at 7:30 PM
Seating is limited. Early reservation strongly recommended.