Trio Gaia — Grant Houston, violin; Yi-Mei Templeman, cello; Andrew Barnwell, piano

Program

  • Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962) – Pale Yellow (2003) (7.5’)
  • Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) - Piano Trio Op. 1 no. 1 (1795) (29’)
  • I. Allegro
  • II. Adagio cantabile
  • III. Scherzo: Allegro assai
  • IV. Finale: Presto

Trio Gaia, New England Conservatory’s graduate piano trio in residence, was formed in 2018 and is dedicated to offering audiences dynamic, personally relevant experiences inside and outside the concert hall. Recently, the trio won 1st prize at the 2022 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians Competition as well as prizes in the 2022 Premio Trio di Trieste International Competition, the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and the 2019 Plowman National Chamber Music Competition. The trio previously served as an Honors Ensemble at the New England Conservatory (NEC).

The trio’s 2022-23 season includes events across the East Coast, including North Carolina’s Davidson College Concert Series, a return to Core Memory Music in Rhode Island, and studio recording sessions for their first album release. Past seasons have included recitals across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Virginia, with summer appearances at the Chamber Music Workshop of the Perlman Music Program and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival at the Yale School of Music. During the onset of the pandemic, Trio Gaia remained active with virtual performances for Music for Food, Massachusetts Peace Action, NEC’s Black Student Union, and Opus Illuminate, a concert series dedicated to showcasing music by composers underrepresented in classical music. In their programming, the trio is equally passionate about reviving standard works, championing new works, and experimenting with original arrangements and compositions.

Dedicated to sharing classical music in the community, Trio Gaia served as Community Performances & Partnership fellows at NEC and was invited to Carnegie Hall’s Audience Engagement Intensive, presented in collaboration with Ensemble Connect. They have performed concerts at venues ranging from the historic Boston Public Library to MIT’s Whitehead Institute and have crafted educational content for the Panama Jazz Festival, local schools, and senior homes. More recently, Trio Gaia was invited to present a weeklong residency with the Virginia Arts Festival. Over the years, the trio has worked with Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Donald Weilerstein, Ayano Ninomiya, Yeesun Kim, Merry Peckham, Max Levinson, Laurence Lesser, Itzhak Perlman, members of the Brentano, Dover, and St. Lawrence Quartets, and the Horszowski Trio.

About the Dame Myra Hess Concerts

The concerts are generously sponsored by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council and by individual donors.

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