About the Duo

Kimu Duo is a cello–guitar ensemble formed at the Royal Academy of Music in London, bringing together Catalan-Basque cellist Ibai Pijoan and British guitarist Gus McQuade. United by a shared interest in cross- genre music making and a creative approach to programming, they have built a distinct project that has taken them across the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Basque Country and Catalonia.

Their programmes move freely between classical repertoire, Bach, jazz, and folk traditions from the Basque Country, Catalonia and England, alongside references to film music and other influences. All of the repertoire is arranged by the duo themselves, often incorporating elements of composition and improvisation, and carefully shaped to create a dynamic and engaging concert experience. Through imaginative transitions between pieces and styles, their performances weave together contrasting sound worlds, from intimate, pared-back moments of stillness to lyrical climaxes driving rhythms and grooves.
Gus McQuade is a City Music Foundation Artist and a Kirckman Concert Society Artist. A former Musicians’ Company New Elizabethan Award holder, he made his debut at Wigmore Hall in 2023 and has performed at venues including Kings Place and the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, as well as at the St Magnus International Festival in Orkney. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music, with distinction, receiving the Academy’s Regency Award for all-round excellence.

Ibai Pijoan studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and is currently completing his Master’s degree at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. He is the recipient of the Barcelona Wagner Scholarship and support from the Stichting De Zaaier Fund. Alongside his work as a performer, he is active as an arranger and improviser, and was invited to participate in a fully funded improvisation workshop and concert series in Lübeck. As a student he won First Prize at the Wigmore Hall Chamber Music Competition with the Smetana Piano Trio, and has appeared as soloist with the Royal Academy of Music Baroque Orchestra in Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto.