Amelia Piano Trio

Anthea Kreston, Violin
Jason Duckles, Cello
Andrew Armstrong, Piano

Known for charismatic and extroverted performances in which they combine their accessibility with the rich history and repertoire of the piano trio, the Amelia Piano Trio has become known as one of the great young chamber ensembles. 

Formed in 1999, the Amelia Piano Trio participated in Isaac Stern’s Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall in 2000. Mr. Stern became a mentor to the Trio and presented the ensemble’s Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall. Of that performance, The Strad said “…its careful attention to balance, tonal beauty, and teamwork was exemplary.” Joining the roster of Concert Artists Guild in 2001, the Trio went on to win the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and to record CDs with Cedille Records and Naxos.

The Trio has performed in many major halls, including the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, Ravinia, Seattle’s Meany Hall, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Other performances include appearances at the Caramoor Music Festival in New York, the La Jolla Chamber Music Society, NPR’s St. Paul Sunday, Calgary Pro Musica, Merkin Hall, and Bargemusic.

The Amelia members have quickly made their mark as performers and commissioners of new music. Notably, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison wrote his first full-length piano trio for the Amelia, a recording of which was released on the Naxos label in the spring of 2007. The Trio’s most recent commissioning project is a new Triple Concerto, Orpheus and Eurydice, composed by Daron Hagen. The Chicago Tribune said of the premiere that “they dug into the piece with a gusto and polish that did the piece proud.”

The Trio was asked by National Public Radio to be the Young Ensemble-in-Residence; this exciting week of live concerts and interviews put the Amelia firmly in the foreground of classical music in America, reaching an estimated 1.5 million listeners. The Trio has also been featured on Chicago’s WFMT in live broadcast performances of the complete Beethoven Trios, and returned to Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday in 2009. 

The Amelia Piano Trio is actively involved in arts education and dedicates a substantial amount of time to educational projects, master classes, and coaching children and adults. In addition to developing award-winning outreach programs, the Trio is in residence at the Green Lake Chamber Music Camp, where they teach gifted high school and college-aged students the art of chamber music.

7/11 – Please do not edit without permission.