ABOUT THE DUCKWORTH & DUPREZ
Duckworth & Duprez are an instrumental acoustic guitar duo from the northwest of England, performing original music that draws on nuevo flamenco, jazz, classical composition, progressive rock and cinematic sound design. Built around virtuosic improvisation and instinctive musical interplay, their work combines the rhythmic force of Ted Duprez’s nylon-string guitar with the expansive melodic voice of Mark Duckworth’s steel-string acoustic.
The duo emerged from broadly similar classical-guitar training, yet developed through contrasting musical instincts. At the beginning of their musical training, Duprez was drawn towards the Romantic lyricism and emotional directness of composers such as Francisco Tárrega and Agustín Barrios, while Duckworth gravitated towards the contrapuntal architecture of Bach and the harmonically rich, rhythmically intricate music of Heitor Villa-Lobos. Moving through their formative years, their later influences expanded the contrast: Duprez absorbed the atmosphere, arrangement and ensemble dynamics of acts ranging from Pink Floyd and Yes through to Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan and The Band, while Duckworth’s path passed led him through Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page before Pat Metheny became a defining influence.
Rather than appearing as imitation or nostalgia, these influences have been absorbed into a shared compositional language developed over the past five years of performing, writing and improvising together. Across more than 2,000 hours onstage, Duckworth & Duprez have learned to communicate through timing, dynamics, repetition, disruption and the subtle shifts that occur when two musicians are fully present in the same moment.
Their performances are shaped by contrast. Duprez provides an inimitable rhythmic and emotional foundation: restrained, economical and capable of moving rapidly from intimacy to intensity. Duckworth responds with technically fearless lead playing, intricate melodic development and idiosyncratic improvisation. Although their roles are distinct, they continually exchange functions, challenge one another and leave space for uncertainty, ensuring that no two performances unfold in quite the same way.
In July 2026, Duckworth & Duprez appeared at Germany’s internationally renowned Rudolstadt Festival, introducing their music to a wider European audience. The performance formed part of an important new chapter for the duo ahead of the release of their debut studio album, Fuerza.
The culmination of their first five years together, Fuerza is a collection of original compositions moving between romantic melody, detailed counterpoint, instinctive rhythm and expansive cinematic arrangement. It captures both the discipline and vulnerability at the centre of the project: two contrasting musical voices creating something that belongs unmistakably to them.
