Anne Makarenko was born in Vienna, Austria, of French parents. She began studying the piano with Hans Rhode in Berlin, then in France with Jean Martin. Subsequently she entered the class of Lelia Gousseau and Lucile Bascourret at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris. She was awarded First Prize in piano in 1972 and First Prize in chamber music in the class of Jean Hubeau. In 1974 she won the Grand Prize of the Viotti International competition in Vercelli, Italy. Together with the piano studies she excelled in musicology at the Sorbonne. She began her international career as a soloist in France and abroad. She met her husband Micha MAKARENKO in 1981 during concerts tour in Morocco.

   Micha Makarenko was born in Paris of Russian parents, autodidact in balalaika playing, he organised ensembles specialising in traditional Russian music with his students, at the same time developing an interest in instruments making with Thomas Norwood and entering the professional world of music. Several tours of France and of other countries followed. He wrote method books, presented conferences and devoted much energy as a pioneer spreading awareness of the balalaika as a classical instrument. In 1988 Pierre-Petit, General Director of the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, invited him to establish a class for balalaika in this famous institution.

   A first disc (ARION*), a second (DISCOVER**), many Radio and Television broadcasts in France, Italy, Belgium, Russia, etc.several glamorous musical cruises (where they met Sir Yehudi Menuhin, who demonstrated great interest in the classical balalaika, great tours of concerts in castles, hotels, festivals, churches and clubs make MAKARENKO DUO figurehead of the balalaika today.

  In 1994 they have had a triumphal tour in Russia, in Moscow, Nijni-Novgorod and St-Petersburg and they have played many times in Russian television. In 1997 and 1998 among innumerable concerts the Duo played in Maurice and Reunion Islands. Pierre-Petit wrote in the Figaro: " I have just discovered an unexpected duo which gave me sixty minutes of happiness!".

* « L'ART DE LA BALALAÏKA CLASSIQUE » ARION - ARN 68118, distribué par Média 7
« PIANO-BALALAIKA DUO » EMS / ARCOBALENO - AAOC - 94282, distribué par MVE