The Duo MFA was born from the meeting of Margot and Florent Aillaud, two artists who both graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Throughout their journey, they refined their artistry under the guidance of renowned guitarists and pedagogues, benefiting from their invaluable advice (Kazuhito Yamashita, Judicaël Perroy, Marcin Dylla, Roland Dyens, Leo Brouwer, Shin-Ichi Fukuda, Lorenzo Micheli, Pavel Steidl). They have been prizewinners and finalists in numerous international competitions, both as soloists and in chamber music (FNAPEC, Guitar Foundation of America, Léopold Bellan, Nordhorn, Paris Guitar Foundation, Cap Ferret, Liechtenstein, among others). Enriched by these encounters, Duo MFA has shaped its own artistic identity and has been performing for several years on stages in France and abroad (Copenhagen, Berlin, Valencia, Milan...).

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    Driven by a desire to share their music with all audiences—whether seasoned listeners or those less familiar with classical music—they dedicate themselves to a meticulous process of research in order to create a repertoire that is both eclectic, original, and engaging. Their double album Les guitares bien tempérées, Books I & II (conceived as a two-part project in reference to Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier) invites listeners to discover or rediscover major works originally written for keyboard (harpsichord, organ, piano, chamber ensembles with piano), which the Duo MFA has transcribed for two guitars. In doing so, they bring a playful and unexpected personal touch to this musical journey, linking composers as distant in time and style as J.S. Bach and Philip Glass, alongside Clara Schumann and György Ligeti.

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    Their latest recording, Prisme, stays true to their spirit of exploration, once again crossing eras and styles. It features arrangements of works by Piazzolla and Philip Glass—two composers dear to the duo—as well as excerpts from Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances. The album also extends their transcription work beyond keyboard pieces, including a new adaptation of Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins, Op. 3 No. 11.

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    Duo MFA is supported by Savarez Strings and the Nguyen Thien Dao Foundation.

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    Margot and Florent Aillaud teach respectively at the Regional Conservatories (CRR) of Toulon Provence Méditerranée and Aix-en-Provence. They perform on guitars crafted by the French master luthier François Monnier.

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