Duo Découverte
Duo Découverte is a clarinet duo dedicated to sharing new and rarely performed music in non-traditional venues around the world to build communities through music. Inspired by polar regions and remote locations, clarinetists Jenny Maclay and Cathy Wood are committed to bringing their music to these unique environments.
Duo Découverte (Jenny Maclay, Cathy Wood) seeks to discover music in new and unique ways. “Découverte” is the French word for discovery, and our duo embodies the spirit of curiosity, exploration, and new experiences. Formed from friendship and wanderlust, Duo Découverte finds inspiration by travelling to lesser-explored places to learn about musical communities. Our travels provide us with opportunities to discover local musical traditions, composers, and history. These experiences shape our musical perspectives that we share with our audiences.
Founded in 2021 in Canada, Duo Découverte has performed at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Brandon University, the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, and several other venues. We seek to go beyond traditional concert settings and into communities where our music can be experienced in new ways. Duo Découverte has been invited as artists in residence from November 6-November 20, 2026 at the Spitsbergen Artist Center in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, which is the northernmost settlement in the world with a permanent population. During this residency, Duo Découverte will perform recitals in non-traditional venues themed around the Polar Night, when the sun does not rise for several months. This unique setting offers an opportunity to explore the relationship between music, space, landscape, and the experience of complete darkness.
Pedagogy and education are strong tenets of our philosophy, and we give back to local communities by working with musicians. We value the opportunity to offer masterclasses, informal musical exchanges, and collaboration, as we feel this is a great way to connect with local musical communities wherever our travels take us. During our residency in Svalbard, we will meet and perform with local clarinetists and musicians who are interested in collaborating with us. Additionally, we will visit the Svalbard Museum archives department to research more about Svalbard’s cultural history.
Our repertoire includes a variety of lesser-known works for two clarinets, and our concerts feature musical themes to invite audiences to discover music through a story, place, or idea. These concert themes allow audiences to explore thematic ideas in a musical journey.