Neave Trio Will Perform Music By Clara Schumann, Glinka, Shostakovich, and Lili Boulanger in a Virtual Concert Presented By Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society

On Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 4pm PT, the Boston-based Neave Trio returns - virtually - to the Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society for an online concert, marking the trio's seventh appearance on the series. The performance was recorded in Pickman Hall at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, where the trio is on faculty. Tickets are available for purchase through Brown Paper Tickets at https://rcchambermusic.live/Neave.html, and instructions to watch the stream will be sent to registrants via email.

Neave Trio's program includes Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17; Glinka's Trio Pathètique in D minor; Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8; and Lili Boulanger's D'un matin de printemps. The Schumann and Boulanger are part of a collection of works by women composers, spanning the Romantic era through the modern day, that Neave Trio has been performing around the U.S and worldwide.

Anna Williams, Neave Trio violinist, says, "There is so much great repertoire that is under-performed, especially from women composers, and we feel it is essential to program and record these masterworks alongside the more well-known catalogue of piano trio repertoire. These women really broke down barriers and paved the way for future generations and we are excited to honor their unique contributions and voices."

Clara Schumann's Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 is widely regarded as one of her best-known compositions. It was written after she endured a great personal loss and is full of heartfelt melodies and beautiful harmonies. You can hear her brilliant pianism, and arguably, musical inspiration that she provided to some of her famous male composer contemporaries. Lili Boulanger, noted by Gabriel Fauré as an incredible prodigy, was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome (1913). D'un matin de printemps is full of character and joy, though it was the last work she wrote before her death at the very young age of 24.

Originally titled Poème and dedicated to Shostakovich's love interest, his first trio was written when he was only sixteen. It is full of beautiful, sincere and heartfelt melodies, but Shostakovich's sonority, harmonies and textures are unmistakably recognizable even at this tender age. Known as the father of the Russian classical music tradition, Glinka wrote his Trio Pathètique in D minor while in Italy. It is unapologetically romantic, lush, and operatic. Inspired by heartbreak, Glinka wrote on the score, "The only way I know love, is by the pain it causes."

About the Neave Trio: Since forming in 2010, Neave Trio - violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura - has earned enormous praise for its engaging, cutting-edge performances. WQXR explains, "'Neave' is actually a Gaelic name meaning 'bright' and 'radiant', both of which certainly apply to this trio's music making." The Boston Musical Intelligencer reports, "it is inconceivable that they will not soon be among the busiest chamber ensembles going," and "their unanimity, communication, variety of touch, and expressive sensibility rate first tier."

Neave has performed at many esteemed concert series and at festivals worldwide, including Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 92nd Street Y, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Chamber Music Series (United Kingdom), and the Samoylov and Rimsky Korsakow Museums' Chamber Music Series in St. Petersburg (Russia). The Trio has held residency positions at Brown University, University of Virginia, San Diego State University as the first ever Fisch/Axelrod Trio-in-Residence, and the Banff Centre (Canada), among many other institutions. Neave Trio was also in residence at the MIT School of Architecture and Design in collaboration with dancer/choreographer Richard Colton. In the fall of 2017, the Trio joined the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College as Alumni Artists, Faculty Ensemble‑in‑Residence.

Neave Trio strives to champion new works by living composers and reach wider audiences through innovative concert presentations, regularly collaborating with artists of all mediums. These collaborations include D-Cell: an Exhibition & Durational Performance, conceived and directed by multi-disciplinary visual artist David Michalek; as well as performances with the Blythe Barton Dance Company; with dance collective BodySonnet; with projection designer Ryan Brady; in the interactive concert series "STEIN2.0," with composer Amanuel Zarzowski; in Klee Musings by acclaimed American composer Augusta Read Thomas, which was premiered by Neave; in the premiere of Eric Nathan's Missing Words V, sponsored by Coretet; in Leah Read's Cloud Burst for piano trio and electronics; in Dale Trumbore's Another Chance; and in a music video by filmmaker Amanda Alvarez Díaz of Astor Piazzolla's "Otoño Porteño."

Gramophone described Neave Trio's latest album Her Voice as, "a splendid introduction to these three pioneering female composers," while The Guardian describes the three compositions by Amy Beach, Rebecca Clarke, and Louise Farrenc as, "distinctive and distinguished chamber works." Neave Trio's other critically acclaimed recordings include Celebrating Piazzolla (Azica Records, 2018), which features mezzo-soprano Carla Jablonski; French Moments (Chandos Records, 2018); and its debut album, American Moments (Chandos Records, 2016).

During the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, the Neave Trio continued to find meaningful ways to perform safely. The Trio has performed virtual concerts for The Violin Channel's "Living Room Live" series, the "Notes of Hope: Music for the Frontline" series, and for Longy School of Music of Bard College's Virtual Benefit. Other recent and upcoming livestream concerts include performances presented by the Asheville Chamber Music Series and the Auditorium Chamber Music Series at University of Idaho. Recent outdoor, socially distanced concerts include performances at PS21 in Chatham, NY; the Walnut Hill School's "Summer of Art, Six Feet Apart" festival; and Newport Music Festival.

For more information, visit www.neavetrio.com.

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