Duo Crepuscolo

Described in Amadeus Magazine as “demonstrating great skill, affinity, and interpretative maturity”, Duo Crepuscolo is a violin-guitar duo (featuring both classical and electric guitar) based in New York City and Sicily, composed of American violinist Francesca Abusamra and Italian guitarist Giuseppe Buscemi. They met while both students at the Manhattan School of Music, and began playing together as a duo in 2023, with their initial concert series taking place in Sicily. Buscemi hails from Sicily, and Abusamra has Italian-American heritage, so they bonded over Italian culture and music. The duo aims to bring attention to the repertoire for violin and guitar, as well as expand it, working with living composers to create new music. Many of the duo’s performances focus on Italian music, as they want to connect their two cultures through their art form, creating a bridge across the ocean between their two homes of New York City and Sicily. Some of their past performances have included a series of concerts across Sicily, where they performed in historic locations from churches to the ruins of an old Norman castle. They have also given numerous performances in the United States focused on showcasing Italian music and culture, such as a recital at the Italian Institute of Culture in New York City, as well as a featured performance during Italian Cultural Day at the United Nations International School. There they were able to share a program of all-Italian music with the students, including both classical works, film music, and classic popular music. Last concert season they premiered Dialogo a Due (Dialogue for Two) written for violin and electric guitar, dedicated to them by Italian composer Paolo Marchettini. They reprised this piece as featured performers at the Manhattan School of Music earlier this year. The duo is in the process of working with Marchettini to expand on this work and create an entire album for violin and electric guitar. They began the current concert season by giving the season's inaugural performance at the Chelsea Music Festival at AP Space Gallery in Chelsea, NYC.