A duo with its own voice – intimate, lyrical, and rooted in shared sound

CheRoba in due is more than a pared-down version of the CheRoba quartet — it’s a project with its own identity. Born from a musical affinity that emerged during informal sessions in Venice, the duo of Marco Santilli (clarinet & bass clarinet) and Ivan Tibolla (piano & accordion) transforms original compositions into lyrical narratives, shaped by a shared sensibility and the natural intimacy of two instruments.

The music navigates the space between composition and improvisation with ease and elegance. Influenced by jazz, classical, world, and folk traditions, the duo doesn’t try to fit into a genre — it creates a hybrid sound that resonates with Mediterranean lyricism and melodic depth. There is often a nocturnal, reflective tone in the pieces – calm yet expressive, spacious yet rooted.

The project also carries the quiet legacy of its time: some of the music emerged in the stillness of lockdowns, reflecting on absence, resilience, and reconnection through sound.

“They once wrote that we compose in Italian, even without using words. I think they meant the musicality of our mother tongue — long melodic lines, rich in vowels. Maybe there’s a bit of Puccini still living in us.” – Marco Santilli

From the evocative Note di Nuto (inspired by a clarinet-playing character in Cesare Pavese’s novel La luna e i falò) to freely improvised organ pieces, CheRoba in due captures the spirit of openness and warmth — music grounded in place, friendship, and shared breath.