JKL DUO / The International Poet

The JKL DUO, Kerry Lynch and Jacopo Lazzaretti, play music straight from the heart, using the flute and classical guitar to speak to listeners all across the world.

The  International Poet  is the programme Kerry and Jacopo created around the figure of Robert Burns and have taken to many Scottish venues since February 2022. It has been described as ‘Simply stunning’ (Skye Chamber Music) and ‘Robert Burns as you've never heard him before’ (West Linton Village Centre). Tracks from the debut album released in 2023 have been broadcast extensively in Scotland, the album was awarded ‘Album of the Week’ at Celtic Music Radio and has been nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award. Further reviews described it as ‘A stimulating and thought-provoking take on the music found by Robert Burns’ (Kate Calder, Edinburgh Music Review) and ‘To see such a unique, well-executed, and fresh concept for a chamber music album is a rare delight, and the world is all the richer for JKL Duo's cheek in attempting such a project’ (Michael Ibsen).

Kerry Lynch is a Scottish flautist, instrumental teacher and entrepreneur who is very active within the Scottish chamber music scene. She performs in the JKL DUO with guitarist Jacopo Lazzaretti, and also within ‘Troppos’, a Latin American group consisting of Flute, Oboe, Violin, Percussion and Tuba. Music was present in Kerry’s life right from the very start, and she has always had instruments around her. However, her formal musical training didn’t begin until she was admitted to study at the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Kerry highly values creative freedom and expression, and has been lucky enough to learn from artists who have fiercely protected and nurtured this in her playing such as Hilary Abagana, Hadar Noiberg, Lorna Thompson and Morgan Davis. She has also partaken in courses and masterclasses with renowned flautists such as Ian Clarke, Lorna McGhee, Matthias Ziegler, Camilla Hoitenga and Jane Rigler. Some of her most recent performances include: the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival, St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, The Sound of Gigha Festival and The Green Shoots Festival in Oban. Kerry is currently an ambassador for ‘tonebase - flute’ and plays on a Sankyo.

Jacopo Lazzaretti is a guitarist from Rome currently based in Glasgow. He is active as a soloist, educator, recording artist. In addition to that he is also active within Scotland’s chamber music scene, playing with Scottish flautist Kerry Lynch in the JKL DUO, Cuban violinist Eddy Betancourt in the Saudade Duo (Live Music Now Scotland Artists), and Lithuanian clarinetist Matas Ščerbauskas. He graduated from the Conservatoire of Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2017 and completed a Masters Degree in Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in June 2019. During that period, he performed in many masterclasses with some of the world’s most well-known guitarists and has been strongly inspired by musicians such as Arturo Tallini, Giulio Tampalini, Matthew McAllister, Allan Neave and Pavel Steidl. Taking part in many National and International competitions, Jacopo won several prizes such as the 8° International Competition Alirio Diaz of Rome (2019), North East Scotland Classical Guitar Society Award (2017) and the International Istanbul Guitar Festival (2015). Since 2018, he has been an artist for Live Music Now Scotland, bringing music to care homes, ASN schools and performing through them in festivals such as the St Magnus International Festival (Orkney) and the Emerging Artists Series at the Usher Hall (Edinburgh). Jacopo is currently an ambassador for ‘tonebase - guitar’ and plays on a Leonardo de Gregorio.