Way out in Far West Texas, a tale of two pianists over 5,000 miles from home arrives at a satisfying crescendo. London-based concert pianists, collaborators, and partners Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy have found themselves at Ballroom Marfa, a non-collecting contemporary art and performance space in the high desert that is open to the public. Over the course of three days, the duo will give five performances—each one deeply intertwined with the landscape, town, and people of Marfa, Texas.

Having met as students at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Kolesnikov and Tsoy’s musical synergy has blossomed and deepened over several years. It’s been on display at sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall, captivating performances at the Guggenheim Museums in Venice and Bilbao, and at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. The pair perform at one grand piano, side-by-side, in an enrapturing, intimate duet. As four hands dance across the piano keys, it’s difficult to tell where one player ends and the other begins.

Across a myriad of public and private spaces, Kolesnikov and Tsoy will perform selections from Beethoven, Schubert, Morton Feldman, Messiaen, and Stravinsky. Their open-air staging of The Rite of Spring at stone circle is a highlight, bringing the groundbreaking 1913 work outside and under the stars.

​As visual and auditory resonance merge in tandem, Ballroom Marfa also presents Los Encuentros, a group exhibition featuring works by Justin Favela, Ozzie Juarez, Antonio Lechuga, Narsiso Martinez, and Yvette Mayorga.