Volt Guitar Duo
“They gave a truly captivating performance of their uniquely devised programme and left our local audience spellbound. The respect they had for both the music and each other was extremely compelling.”
About
The Volt Duo is an award-winning classical guitar duo formed by Gus McQuade (UK) and Gonçalo Maia Caetano (Portugal). Based in London, the duo has fast become one of the most compelling chamber ensembles of their generation, recently appointed as Kirckman Concert Society Artists for the 2026–2027 season.
Gus and Gonçalo began collaborating in 2018 while studying at the Royal Academy of Music, performing together in various guitar duos, quartets, and chamber formations before officially launching Volt Duo in 2022. Since their inception, they have performed extensively across the UK and Europe, gracing the stages of the City Music Society, the Llantwit Major Chamber Music Festival, and capturing top honours as prize-winners at the Lagoa International Guitar Competition in Portugal.
Volt Duo is defined by an expansive, genre-defying musical outlook. While rooted in elite classical training, their repertoire spans centuries and styles, setting them apart through their highly innovative, bespoke arrangements. Their programmes seamlessly recontextualise music across eras—moving effortlessly from the baroque precision of Jean-Philippe Rameau and the late-romantic intensity of Alexander Scriabin to the contemporary jazz fusion of Pat Metheny and iconic tracks by The Beatles, alongside foundational duo masterpieces by composers like Sergio Assad and Manuel de Falla.
Gonçalo Maia Caetano
Gonçalo Maia Caetano is a celebrated international guitarist from Coimbra, Portugal. He completed a highly distinguished tenure at the Royal Academy of Music, concluding his studies with an Advanced Diploma alongside a First-Class Honours BMus and a Master of Arts with the prestigious DipRAM award under Professor Michael Lewin. A prolific competitor, Gonçalo won First Prize at the coveted Prince’s Prize competition in 2023, the Blyth Watson Guitar Concerto Prize, and has taken top placements at international competitions in Valencia, Guimarães, Pleven, and Scotland. His international recital career spans historic venues including London's Kings Place, the National Theatre, and the Wiener Saal (Mozarteum) in Salzburg, with an upcoming landmark performance of Malcolm Arnold’s Guitar Concerto for the Julian Bream Trust at Duke’s Hall. Beyond classical music, Gonçalo pursued a second study in jazz guitar at the Academy, a background that heavily informs the duo's rhythmic agility and improvisatory flair. He is supported by the Musicians’ Company, Help Musicians UK, Talent Unlimited, and the International Guitar Foundation (IGF).
Gus McQuade
Gus McQuade is an acclaimed classical guitarist and arranger from Leamington Spa. He completed his Master’s degree with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Regency Award (2024), alongside the Blyth Watson Award and the Timothy Gilson Prize. A New Elizabethan Award winner and City Music Foundation Young Artist, Gus has performed as a soloist at many of London's definitive venues, including Wigmore Hall, the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, Kings Place, and St Martin-in-the-Fields. His innovative, cross-genre approach to arranging is central to the Volt Duo's identity, shaped by masterclasses with leading international figures including David Russell, Fabio Zanon, Paul Galbraith, Xuefei Yang, and lutenist Nigel North. His career has been generously supported by the Drake Calleja Trust, Help Musicians, and the Craxton Memorial Trust.
Projects
As Kirckman Concert Society Artists, Volt Duo offers highly curated recital programmes centered on their original, self-penned transcriptions. By translating piano masterworks, orchestral textures, and contemporary jazz directly onto two classical guitars, the duo delivers a performance that is inherently unique to their ensemble. Characterised by their exceptional onstage chemistry, technical brilliance, and fluid movement between musical traditions, their recitals are perfectly tailored for major concert societies, international chamber festivals, and high-fidelity session recordings looking for a fresh, visually engaging classical performance.
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