Bio

The exceptional international accordion duo was established in 2011 by Alena Budziňáková and Grzegorz Palus – artists united by a shared passion and a commitment to promoting classical accordion music. Their artistic activity reflects a shared understanding of the world and music, enriched by the unique personalities of both musicians – outstanding representatives of Polish and Slovak accordion artistry. 

The ensemble’s quality and reputation are evidenced by the musicians’ outstanding international education and the breadth of their individual experiences, including numerous solo achievements. Another asset of the ensemble is the combination of two masterfully played types of contemporary classical accordion – keyboard and button instruments. All these elements have contributed to the development of the duo’s distinctive style, which has made it one of the leading accordion chamber music ensembles in the world.

The ensemble has won awards in national and international competitions, including first prizes at accordion festivals in Pula (Croatia, 2012), Sanok (2012), Mława (2012), and Chełm (2011). It has also been a five-time laureate of the prestigious “Musical Eagles” International Competition, receiving two gold (2022, 2024), two silver (2023, 2024), and one bronze (2024) diploma for outstanding artistic achievements in multiple categories.

Alena Budziňáková and Grzegorz Palus move with virtuosity across a highly diverse repertoire. They perform both original transcriptions of music from the Baroque to the 20th century and world premieres of experimental contemporary works. The ensemble’s discography includes albums released by Chopin University Press, DUX, Sarton Records, and SPMK Records. These often feature premiere recordings of contemporary compositions, commissioned works, and original, surprising arrangements of well-known pieces, including Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Maurice Ravel’s Suite “Mother Goose” (“Fairy Tale Stories”), as well as double concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (“New Double Accordion Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach”) and Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals” (“Panta Rhei”) with orchestral accompaniment. The ensemble has also recorded extensively for radio, including regional branches of Polskie Radio and the German WDR3 station.

duoAccosphere has performed over 200 concerts in Poland and abroad, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Czechia, Denmark, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Italy. The artists have appeared on prestigious stages such as the Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Music Hall, Konzerthaus Detmold, WDR3 Radio in Cologne, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Arithmeum Bonn, Odessa Philharmonic, Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Kraków, Oskar Kolberg Philharmonic in Kielce, Gorzów Philharmonic, Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, Karol Szymanowski Museum “Willa Atma” in Zakopane, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. They also regularly participate in prominent accordion, baroque, chamber, and contemporary music festivals, including Premio Internazionale della Fisarmonica in Castelfidardo, Vilnius Accordion Festival, Goldberg Festival, Gliwice Bach Festival, International Emanations Festival, Festival Wawel at Dusk in Kraków, Festival Music at the Heights in Zakopane, and Two Days and Two Nights of New Music in Odessa.

Performances with orchestras are a key aspect of the duo’s activity. They have appeared as soloists with the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra (2014), the PhilHARMONIKA PANtonale Festival Orchestra in Berlin (2018), Przemyśl Chamber Orchestra (2018), Polish Art Philharmonic (2023), Orchestra Filarmonica della Calabria (2023), Kielce Philharmonic Orchestra (2024), and Gorzów Philharmonic Orchestra (2025).

The duo initiates new chamber projects, often introducing innovative repertoire ideas. Collaborations include the Airis String Quartet, LLLeggiero Woodwind Trio (“New Reed Quintet”), the string quintet of the early music orchestra Capella Cracoviensis (“New Double Accordion Concertos”), and a bass clarinet duo formed by Michał Górczyński and Julian Paprocki. Together with percussionist Marianna Bednarska, they created the Triangulum Ensemble, exploring the sonic potential of accordion and percussion combinations. The musicians also perform in the New Accordion Quintet with Wiesław Ochwat, Mateusz Dudek, and Maciej Zima, as well as in numerous projects with organist Wacław Golonka and other instrumentalists and vocalists.

duoAccosphere regularly collaborates with both Polish and international composers. Their commissions include concertos for two accordions and orchestra by Anna Sowa, Bartosz Kowalski, and Wojciech Ziemowit Zych. In addition, chamber works for the duo have been composed by Miłosz Bembinow, Agnieszka Ignatowicz-Glińska, Sven-Ingo Koch, Katarzyna Krzewińska, Maciej Jabłoński, Peter Machajdík, Grzegorz Majka, Wołodymyr Runczak, Jan Sanejko, Renāte Stivriņa, Wojciech Widłak, Tyler Versluis, and Maciej Zimka.