“Kristina and Joel are two first-class musicians, making them an excellent duo.”
Erik Risberg
Our History
Together, Kristina Newton, and Joel Slott form the Clarinet-Piano duo Dialogue of Minds. They met during their studies at the Academy for Music and Drama in Gothenburg, Sweden and have since continued to work together closely. Their ambition is to always find ways to inject classical music with new life, whether that be with new commissions or new interpretations.
They chose their name to represent the reasoning behind their love of chamber music. The non-verbal communication that happens on stage when performing is integral to successful chamber music. and we have learnt in post performance discussions that our audiences love to both watch and hear the visual and auditory aspects of our dialogue.
From this foundation of connection and openness, we are able to explore a wide range of new and staple repertoire. One of our most important missions is to give voice to new dialogues. Our first commission by Swedish composer Nicole Rubinova will be premiered in our Timeless Classics and New Beginnings concert series, which will tour five London venues including the 1901 Arts Club and St Pancras Clock Tower this June.
We have also begun work with Australian composer Imogen Ferdinando to commission a Clarinet sonata which explores her Sri-Lankan heritage in conversation with western classical music notation.
Kristina Newton
With performances across England, Australia, Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland, Kristina Newton is a clarinettist with a passion for establishing the clarinet as a core instrument in chamber music. In 2021, she was accepted to study with Australia’s foremost clarinettist and composer Paul Dean at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Australia, supported by the Sir Samuel Griffith Scholarship. She took her third year studies across the globe with an exchange year at Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg, studying with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Principal Clarinet, Urban Claesson. In furtherance of her international studies, she has also played in masterclasses with Annelien Van Wauwe and Julian Bliss. Inspired by Sweden’s natural and cultural beauty, as well as the creative community that she established around herself, Kristina continued residing there after her graduation. She now studies privately with highly sought after teachers such as Hermann Stefánsson and Matthias Müller.
A champion of modern music, Kristina gave the world premiere of a selection of pieces in the 2023 Siren Festival in Gothenburg, and is co-commissioning a piece from Nicole Rubinova in conjunction with Swedish pianist Joel Slott for their collaboration Dialogue of Minds. This piece, was performed as part of the Timeless Classics and New Beginnings program in venues across the greater London in June 2025. The following month, they travelled to Australia for a regional tour of Australian contemporary music, funded by Creative Australia. For Kristina, much of the magic of music comes from simply the act of putting together performances, and bringing together people who might otherwise never come together, to enjoyed a shared experience of beauty and wonder. Past projects that she has directed include the Almaviva Wind Quintet and a performance of Stravinsky’s L’histoire du Soldat for septet and Three pieces for Solo Clarinet at Varbergs Teater. She plans to focus her artist output on similar projects which bring light and inspiration to her audiences and collaborators alike. Kristina will begin studying a Masters in Music of clarinet performance at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel with Benjamin Dieltjens in September 2025.
Joel Slott
Joel Slott (b.2001) is a Swedish classical pianist specialising in collaborative playing and chamber music. He began his formal piano studies in 2017 when he started studying with Finnish pianist Taru Kurki at the Falun Conservatory of Music. After graduating in 2020 he continued his studies by pursuing a bachelor’s degree with Bernt Wilhemsson at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg. During his studies in Gothenburg his fascination and love for chamber music and collaborative playing grew into a passion which fuels his trajectory into this professional field. To further deepen and perfect his understanding of collaborative piano he has been undertaking private studies for pianist and repetiteur Joakim Kallhed since 2023, as well as arranging individual private lessons with world renowned collaborative pianists, repetiteurs and conductors such as Matti Hirvonen, Boris Schäfer and Juan Zurutuza. Joel is looking forward to beginning his Masters of Accompaniment and Chamber Music at the Norwegian Academy of Music.
Dialogue of Minds 