Elmhurst Twins Debuted At Carnegie Hall At Age 9

ELMHURST, IL – The Gallwas twins of Elmhurst are known for their piano abilities.

Kenneth and Joseph Gallwas made their stunning duet debut at Carnegie Hall at just nine years old as winners of the American Protégé Competition.

They are the reigning 3rd place 2024 MTNA National Champions in Senior Piano Duet, having won 1st prize at both the state and district levels. In 2023, they performed at the Grant Park Festival as part of Joyce Yang’s “Play with Masters” event. In summer 2024, they attended the Northwestern Duo Masterclass with Sylvia Wang and Alan Chow, giving recitals at The Merion, McClintock Recital Hall, and the Mary Galvin Recital Hall.

Both avid concerto, solo, and chamber pianists, Ken and Joe have performed nearly a dozen times with orchestras and earned accolades in competitions, including the Aloha International Piano Competition, Sejong National Competition, Charleston International Competition, International Young Artists Competition, Walgreens and Elmhurst Stanger Concerto Competition. Most recently, Ken and Joe placed first and second place, respectively, in the ISMTA competition and earned top awards at the MTNA state level as well. They have performed different care homes and churches including Mather, The Merion, Friendship Village, Bethel UCC and Hinsdale United
Methodist Church.

The twins started piano lessons when they turned 6 years old and currently studying with Jeffrey Panko, Mary Sauer, and Sean Bennett at the New Music School in Chicago. They have participated in masterclasses with esteemed pianists Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Steven Osborne, Dang Thai Son and Stanislav Ioudenitch. Currently juniors at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, they play in the school orchestra and are avid ice hockey enthusiasts.