Guest Artist Masterclass – Aspen String Trio

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

The Aspen String Trio is one of the rare professional string trios performing and touring today. Celebrated for virtuoso performances offered with humor and insight, AST performs the complete trios of Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert, as well as lesser known blockbuster works by Dohnányi,
Hindemith, Martinů, Rozsa, Klein, Veress, Villa-Lobos and Ysaÿe, among others. Their many “themed” concert programs are in high demand, include a Goldberg Variations lecture recital, Czech, Please!, A
Fugue Good Men, a program of dances, Baroque to modern, and a “Degenerate” concert of music by composers tragically suppressed by the Nazi regime—music of profound beauty and hope from Krása,
Gál, Klein, and Weinberg.

Recent engagements include the Los Angeles Music Guild and the National Gallery of Art, as well as residencies in Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Delaware, Washington and Colorado. For six seasons AST was Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Baltimore. During the 2018-2019 season the Trio’s tours include concert engagements and teaching residencies throughout North Carolina, British Columbia, and Florida, often collaborating with host colleagues on piano quintets and quartets, and string sextets.

Summer faculty colleagues at the Aspen Festival and School, AST members have been playing together for more than twenty years: violinist David Perry, violist Victoria Chiang, and cellist Mike Mermagen. As teaching faculty at distinguished universities and conservatories, Trio members are committed to incorporating educational components into all residencies, offering not only masterclasses but also an array of workshops that address aspects of students’ professional lives beyond their instruments.

The Aspen String Trio has just released its first recording: music of Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss, and is currently recording the complete string trios and other music of Martinů for the Naxos label.