A FREE Lit & Phil Live Event. Booking required.

Marie Schreer and John Garner formed Mainly Two in 2013 with a view to expanding the repertoire for two violins and bringing greater attention to an oft-neglected medium. They have since commissioned works by over twenty composers from across the globe, performed live at celebrated venues including Sage Gateshead and St David’s Hall Cardiff and toured internationally.

Their two-part album Poetry / Synergy was independently released in November 2014 and re-released digitally on Turquoise Coconut in May 2016, followed some months later by an EP, Live at Listenpony. Their latest album, Squirrels in Matchboxes, was released in April 2020 and features new works by James Brady, Kate Williams and MT’s own John Garner, as well as improvisations by the duo.

During the pandemic, Mainly Two released "World Tour", a YouTube series of short concerts featuring music new and old from across the globe and made their debut at the Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music. Also enthusiastic educators, they have given workshops and masterclasses across the country including at Sage Gateshead and Glasgow University.

From the playful to the melancholic, the brutal to the plain silly, Mainly Two are rejuvenating the world of two violins, summoning a universe of colour from eight strings.