Horszowski Trio

Sunday, May 2, 2027, 3:00 pm, Sleepy Hollow High School Auditorium, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Giving performances that are “lithe, persuasive” (The New YorkTimes), “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe), and described as “the most compelling American group to come on the scene” (The New Yorker), the Horszowski Trio has quickly become a vital force in the international chamber music world since their formation in 2011. In 2023, the “Horszowski Trio Prize” was created by the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, to award piano trio winners.

Jesse Mills, violin, Rieko Aizawa, piano, and Ole Akahoshi, cello. Photo/Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

In 2019, the trio made its London debut in a sold-out concert at Wigmore Hall. Their success led to a 21-concert tour in Germany in 2022, and they were acclaimed by major critics: “This ensemble can play anything.”; “With all the intensity of the expression that the three musicians achieve, they play in a finely tuned manner, span gripping musical arcs, work out surprising details, amaze with their interpretive imagination and stylistically confident sensitivity.”; “While listening to their Dvořák Dumky Trio, you couldn’t believe that it was not a Czech but an American ensemble playing.”

Their recording of the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann on AVIE Records received tremendous acclaim: “great care and affection” (BBC Radio); “intoxicating” (Gramophone); “exciting and deeply felt” (Strings); “fresh, supple and fantastic” (The Strad).

The Trio takes its inspiration from the musicianship, integrity, and humanity of the pre-eminent pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993); the ensemble’s pianist, Rieko Aizawa, was Horszowski’s last pupil at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Described as “power players” by the Los Angeles Times, the Horszowski Trio’s repertoire includes works by many of the composers with whom Horszowski had personal interaction, including Gabriel Fauré, Enrique Granados, Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saëns and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

The Horszowski Trio’s debut recording – an album of works by Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Vincent d’Indy on the Bridge label – was released in 2014 and dedicated to the memory of Mieczysław Horszowski.

In addition to their performance cycles of the complete trios of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, the Horszowski Trio is a passionate advocate for the music of our time. They have worked with the legendary composers John Harbison, Charles Wuorinen, and Joan Tower, for whom the Trio recorded “For Daniel” in celebration of her 75th birthday.

Violinist Jesse Mills, a two-time Grammy nominee who is also a composer and arranger, wrote “Painted Shadow” for the ensemble; the work was commissioned by and premiered at Bargemusic in Brooklyn in 2015.

The Horszowski Trio is based in New York City. It is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Mass., and of the Leschetizky Association in New York.

Their Program honors the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, March 27, 1827

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 1 No. 3
Ludwig van Beethoven (arr. Jesse Mills): “Drei Equale für vier Posaunen”, WoO 30, arranged for piano trio
Franz Schubert: Second movement from Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 100
Dániel Dobri: “Homage to Beethoven” (2027) [World Premiere]
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97, “Archduke”