Saturday, August 6th, 2016

Lysander Piano Trio, New York

Itamar Zorman, Violin, Liza Stepanova, Piano, Michael Katz, Cello

 
International Lysander Piano Trio, first time in Denmark
The Lysander Piano Trio, a winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, has been praised by the Strad for its “…incredible ensemble, passionate playing, articulate and imaginative ideas and wide palette of colours.” These qualities have made the Trio a standout at other competitions, with top honors at the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the 2011 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition (Grand Prize), and the 2011 J. C. Arriaga Chamber Music Competition (First Prize).

In 2014-15 the ensemble performs around the US with highlights at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (IL), Chamber Music Tulsa (OK), Joplin Pro Musica (MO), Gretna Music (PA), Macon Concert Association (GA), and St. Olaf College (MN). The Trio gives a concert at NYC’s SubCulture in September 2014 to celebrate the release of its debut CD on CAG Records, entitled After a Dream, featuring music by Ravel, Haydn, Schubert, Joaquin Turina, and Moshe Zorman.

Recent engagements in NYC include the Lysander Trio’s April 2014 Weill Recital Hall debut at Carnegie Hall, for which the New York Times lauded the ensemble’s “…rich sound and nuanced musicianship…resulting in a finely hued collaboration among the three musicians.” Other notable New York dates are Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and David Rubinstein Atrium, Schneider Concerts Chamber Music Series at the New School, and Merkin Concert Hall.

The Lysander Piano Trio is active in commissioning new works and creates programs that mix the music of today with well-loved masterworks. The Trio gave two world premieres in 2013-14: Jakub Ciupinski’s Black Mirror at Weill Recital Hall (commissioned by CAG); and Four Movements Inspired by “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” penned by four pre-teen composers of ComposerCraft from NYC’s Kaufman Music Center and performed at Merkin Concert Hall in January 2014.

Highlights in recent seasons from around the US are the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Purdue University’s Convocations Series, UCLA’s Clark Memorial Library, Rockford Coronado Concerts near Chicago, Smith College (MA), Sheldon Friends of Chamber Music (Lincoln, NE), Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society and Elmira College in upstate NY, and Treetops Chamber Music Society (CT). The Trio was selected to represent Juilliard in 2009 in a special concert in Mexico City on the occasion of President Joseph Polisi’s visit to Mexico.

The Lysander Piano Trio has performed in master classes for Alfred Brendel and for Ida and Ani Kavafian at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and it has studied with Ronald Copes of the Juilliard String Quartet, Joseph Kalichstein of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, and Seymour Lipkin.  The Lysander Trio takes its name from the character in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.