Trio Concorde Takes Bronze at Fischoff

NEC’s Trio Concorde Wins Bronze Medal at Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, Sunday May 12, 2013

The Trio Concorde, a student piano trio coached by Vivian Hornick Weilerstein, won the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, May 12 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. The ensemble, which received a $2000 prize, is composed of (l. to r. in photo) Zenas Hsu '13 M.M., violin, student of Donald Weilerstein and Nicholas Kitchen; Yina Tong '12 M.M., '13 G.D., cello, student of Laurence Lesser; and Livan (Yifan "Ivan" Lin) '13 M.M., piano, student of Wha Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. Their coach, Vivian Weilerstein, also directs the Professional Piano Trio Training Program at NEC, which has guided the artistic development of such exceptional groups as the Trio Cleonice, the Trio Cavatina, the Moët Trio, and the N-E-W Trio.

The Trio Concorde was featured on a recent Chamber Music Gala concert that spotlighted the work of particularly outstanding ensembles. At that Valentine’s Day performance, the group played the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A, which the composer dedicated to “the memory of a great artist,” Nikolai Rubinstein, his close friend and mentor. Click here to view a YouTube clip of the Trio Concorde performing the first movement.

Founded in 1973 by Joseph E. Fischoff and fellow members of the South Bend Chamber Music Society, the Fischoff Competition is the largest chamber music competition in the nation and the world. Each year, an average of 125 ensembles, representing 22 nationalities, enter in either the wind or string categories of three to six performers. What’s more, Fischoff is the only national chamber music competition with both senior divisions (ages 18-35) and a junior division (age 18 and younger). Since its inception, more than 5,000 musicians have participated, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in music performance and education.

Committed to music education, the Fischoff partners with competition alumni to bring free, innovative music programs directly to children in their own schools and community centers. Known as the Fischoff Arts-in-Education Residency, these programs have served more than 56,000 community children since 1995 and reach more than 6,000 underserved and at-risk young people every year. Additionally, Fischoff offers several programs to support and encourage area high school-aged musicians.

For further information, check the Fischoff website.

Find more NEC Fischoff winners.

For more information on chamber music at NEC, click here.

ABOUT NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY

Recognized nationally and internationally as a leader among music schools, New England Conservatory in Boston, MA offers rigorous training in an intimate, nurturing community to 720 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral music students from around the world.  Its faculty of 225 boasts internationally esteemed artist-teachers and scholars.  Its alumni go on to fill orchestra chairs, concert hall stages, jazz clubs, recording studios, and arts management positions worldwide.  Nearly half of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is composed of NEC trained musicians and faculty.

The oldest independent school of music in the United States, NEC was founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjee. Its curriculum is remarkable for its wide range of styles and traditions.  On the college level, it features training in classical, jazz, contemporary improvisation, world and early music. Through its Preparatory School, School of Continuing Education, and Community Programs and Partnerships Program, it provides training and performance opportunities for children, pre-college students, adults, and seniors.  Through its outreach projects, it allows young musicians to engage with non-traditional audiences in schools, hospitals, and nursing homes—thereby bringing pleasure to new listeners and enlarging the universe for classical music, jazz, and contemporary improvisation.

NEC presents more than 900 free concerts each year, many of them in Jordan Hall, its world- renowned, century-old, beautifully restored concert hall.  These programs range from solo recitals to chamber music to orchestral programs to jazz, contemporary improvisation, and opera scenes.  Every year, NEC’s opera studies department also presents two fully staged opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre or Paramount Theatre in Boston.

NEC is co-founder and educational partner of From the Top, a weekly radio program that celebrates outstanding young classical musicians from the entire country. With its broadcast home in Jordan Hall, the show is now carried by National Public Radio and is heard on 250 stations throughout the United States.

Contact: Ellen Pfeifer
Senior Communications Specialist
New England Conservatory
290 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-585-1143
Ellen.pfeifer@necmusic.edu