About Us
What we do
— Our specialties
Magical Keys Duet consists of 2 sisters, Kasia and Karen Szczech. Kasia is trained pianist, harpist, vocalist, and organist while Karen is a trained violinist.
The duet has been established for well over 7 years and since then they both still continue to find new things to bring to audiences.
Our Mission
Art can be delicate but it can also
have extreme power that can change the world. We hope to make a change in yours.
Kasia
- composer, pianist, harpist, organist, and vocalist
Kasia Szczech is a Chicago based composer, pianist, harpist, organist, and vocalist who is working to take music to a whole other level. She graduated Depaul University in June 2017 in Composition studying under Christopher Jones and Seung-Won Oh and graduated with her Masters in Music Education in May 2020. Her experience has brought her many ideas to grow. Her interest in contemporary classical new music, education, and show production had sparked at the Chicago Academy for the Arts where she attended for high school. Jesse Langen, the guitarist for world-wide known new music ensemble Dal Niente has been her mentor and second-father figure since the day she stepped foot at CAA.
Kasia Szczech has been commissioned by Ensembles around the world as a composer and has had world wide Premieres by DissonArt Ensemble in Greece and Ensemble Dal Niente in Chicago. Kasia Szczech is also part of a Youth Ensemble called Chicago Arts initiative, directed by Jesse Langen, who recently collaborated with Studio Musik Fabric in Chicago and Darmstadt, Germany in the International New Music Festival years 2015 and summer of 2016. Kasia has also attended piano festivals and student exchange programs all over the world with SOTA in Singapore, The International Music Festival in Castelnuovo de Garfagnana Italy, School of the Arts in Montreal, and Ensemble Studio MusikFabrik in Darmdstadt and Cologne Germany. Kasia also spends her time as an accompanist for local high schools and groups such as MusicChorale in Chicago.
As a composer, Kasia’s works take you through many variations and combinations of sounds that blossom in your imagination. Kasia says “I want the audience to breathe with me. Each person will feel the sound differently and see different colors, but as long as they breathe with me we can blossom together. When we breathe together we feel more united, It’s human. No one can replace that unity.” Kasia keeps her roots and traditions by incorporating a lot of Polish Folklore Highlander tunes in her music.
Since the age of 6, Kasia has always dreamed of forming her own band or orchestra, composing music and conducting the show while raising money for those in need. She has currently possible by continuing to grow her Non-Profit Organization A Magical Keys Extravaganza. With the immense help from her family, she produces shows annually for Christmas as a “Christmas Gift” for those in need. Kasia produces, directs, and composes a whole show from scratch with amazing musicians from all around the Chicago area to raise money for “Dom Samotnej Matki” “House of the Lonely Mother”. Check out her arrangements and the amazing band on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram – Magical Keys.
Kasia currently resides as the Music Director at St. Albert the Great, runs and teaches her own piano and harp studio, She is composing the next 2022 LIVE show for Magical Keys Extravaganza Non-Profit and is currently writing and composing her own teaching method books, the Magical Keys Method which will be available for all Students and Teachers.
Kasia’s piano, choral, and band music and arrangements will soon be available for purchase here on this website. If you would like to purchase these immediately. Please contact us now. Thank you!
Karen
— Composer and Violinist
Karen Szczech is a Chicago based violinist that graduated from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville with a degree in Violin Performance and Psychology and is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Violin Performance at University of Madison-Wisconsin. Prior to her university studies, she attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts high school in Chicago, Illinois studying violin with Ms. Rachel Brown and composition with Jesse Langen. As a composer, Karen’s pieces have been premiered by the Grammy Award winning ensemble, Eighth Black Bird in May of 2016 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, representing the Kerry James Marshall exhibit. She is also in a youth ensemble, Chicago Arts Initiative (CAI) directed by Jesse Langen, who collaborated with Studio MusikFabric in Chicago and Darmstadt, Germany in the International New Music Festival. She has also performed in the Ear Taxi New Music Festival in Chicago, Under the Radar Festival in Nebraska, and in the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina. Furthermore, as of today she has written three contemporary operas.
As a performer, Karen not only brings history to life by performing masterpieces by Bach or Brahms, but she is also very committed to studying and exploring modern music from the 21st century. She also has had a great honor to perform in master-classes with exceptional musicians some include instrumentalists from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Rachel Barton Pine. As a teacher, Karen uses the Suzuki Method to open musical doors for all ages of humans. Everyone has the ability to learn, and have talent. Not every student that is taught is expected to be an internationally known violinist, the ultimate goal is for the student to appreciate music as the art form that it is and what it means for the whole world. Art can be delicate but it can also have extreme power that can change the world for the better. That is what I hope for my students, for them to change the world when there comes a time that I won’t be able to.
