HARTFORD, Conn. (April 2, 2012) – The Adaskin String Trio and guest pianist Sally Pinkas will perform in a free concert at Trinity College’s Austin Arts Center on Thursday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Department of Music at Trinity.
The program consists of Beethoven’s String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3; Martinů’s String Trio No.2, H. 238 (1934), which the trio collectively describes as a “favorite, off the beaten trail” piece, “very high energy and thrilling”; and Dvořák’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 87.
Although the Adaskin String Trio is currently based in New England, the members are originally from Canada. Violinist Emlyn Ngai, violist Steve Larson, and cellist Mark Fraser met in Montreal where they studied chamber music with cellist Marcel Saint-Cyr. They formed the trio in 1994, naming it in honor of Murray Adaskin, one of Canada’s most loved and respected composers, and two of his brothers, violinist Harr
y Adaskin and producer and music educator John Adaskin.
The trio served two years as ensemble-in-residence at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford under the guidance of the Emerson Quartet. Currently, both Emlyn Ngai and Steve Larson teach at The Hartt School.
The Adaskin String Trio performs extensively throughout the United States and Canada. CBC Radio, Radio-Canada, and National Public Radio have regularly recorded the trio’s concerts for broadcast.
The Boston Globe praised the trio in a review: “…not only was the Adaskin’s technical mastery never in question, they brought to the music a focus and intensity that was all the keener for its selflessness, its utter lack of star-turn narcissism. Always and without undue insistence, you felt, they were directing the listener to the heart of the matter.”
Israeli-born pianist Sally Pinkas has performed widely in the United States, Europe, Russia, China, and Africa. She has participated in summer festivals at Marlboro, Tanglewood, Aspen, Kfar Blum (Israel), Rocca di Mezzo (Italy), and Pontlevoy (France). She serves as pianist-in-residence and professor of music at Dartmouth College.
The concert, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Trinity College Department of Music. For directions, please visit www.trincoll.edu or call (860) 297-2199.