The Montserrat Duo takes its name from the famous "jagged mountain" of Catalunya, the place of Mr. Maynegre's birth. In keeping with their name, the Duo frequently performs music from Spain and Catalunya, along with standard repertoire and lesser-known compositions for cello and piano.
Cellist Beth Ringel and pianist Alex Maynegre began performing together while studying at The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Ms. Ringel and Mr. Maynegre have won prizes in competitions in the United States and Spain, including the Ekstrand Memorial Competition, Van Rooy Competition for Musical Excellence, Paranov Competition and Emerson String Quartet Competition and the Lleida Piano Competition in Catalunya. They have performed throughout Europe, Russia and the United States.
Following studies at the Hartt School with Terry King, Ms. Ringel completed her Master of Music degree in cello performance at the University of Colorado at Boulder with Judith Glyde. Mr. Maynegre began studying the piano at the age of seven in his native Mataró with his late grand-uncle, Catalan pianist Enric Torra. He was awarded an Artist's Diploma and Master of Music degree from the Hartt School, where he studied with Luis de Moura Castro and David Westfall. He is currently a fellowship student in the Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano degree program with Anne Epperson at CU-Boulder. Alex and Beth were married in May, 2003, and they reside in Boulder with their pets, golden retriever Greta and orange tabby Fritz.