Widely regarded as the premier piano trio of its generation,
the Claremont Trio is sought after for its thrillingly
virtuosic and richly communicative performances. First winners
of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and
the only piano trio ever to win the Young Concert Artists
International Auditions, the Claremonts are consistently lauded
for their "aesthetic maturity, interpretive depth, and
exuberance" (Palm Beach Daily News).
During the 2011-12 season the Claremont Trio opens the brand
new hall at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum with
a series of three concerts. Equally passionate about the
standard repertoire and the music of our time, the Claremonts
pair three world premiere commissions by Sean Shepherd, Helen
Grime and Gabriela Lena Frank with a survey of trios by Mozart
and Mendelssohn to celebrate this exciting new venue. Their
busy touring schedule also includes concerts for Friends of
Chamber Music-Denver, the Sanibel Music Festival, New
York’s Rubin Museum, Harvard Musical Association, Chamber
Music Society of Bethlehem, Boise Chamber Music Series,
American Century Music in Boston, Concerts at the Point, and
the Brooklyn Public Library. As Central Virginia Ensemble in
Residence, the Claremonts also begin a visiting residency at
Longwood University, Randolph College, Sweet Briar College and
Hampden Sydney College.
Prolific recording artists, the Claremont Trio released their
critically acclaimed Beethoven & Ravel CD this year with a
performance at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge. One reviewer
raved “These are some of the most impassioned, moving,
and notable readings of these favorites that I have ever heard,
bar none. I am especially picky about the Beethoven, one of my
favorites and to this point best projected by the legendary
Istomin-Stern-Rose Trio, but the Claremont has their measure
fully, and this is something I never thought I would say”
(Audiophile Audition). The Trio eagerly anticipates the release
of its newest recording featuring trios by New York composer
Robert Paterson, including his monumental “Sun
Trio” and a new trio written for the Claremonts. Their
discography also includes “Mendelssohn Trios”, a
Russian disc including Shostakovich and Arensky, and
“American Trios” with works by Leon Kirchner, Ellen
Zwilich, Paul Schoenfield and Mason Bates. A collaborative disc
with clarinetist Jonathan Cohler encompassing works by
Beethoven, Brahms, and Dohnanyi garnered a glowing review in
Fanfare magazine and received a Critic’s CHOICE award
from BBC magazine.
The Claremont Trio’s recent seasons included engagements
at the Kennedy Center, Boston’s Celebrity Series,
Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Series, Pasadena’s Coleman
Chamber Music Association, Johns Hopkins University, the JCC of
Greater Washington, the Austin Chamber Music Festival, St.
Paul’s Music in the Park, Stanford Lively Arts, Kansas
City Friends of Chamber Music, Dayton’s Vanguard
Concerts, and Jacksonville’s Riverside Fine Arts
Association, along with the Chamber Music Societies of Phoenix,
Dallas, Sedona, San Antonio, Buffalo, Bethlehem (PA), and Logan
(UT) and the Universities of Washington, Wisconsin, and
Missouri. The trio was recently ensemble in residence at the
Laguna Beach Live Festival and at the National Conference of
the Suzuki Association of the Americas. The Claremonts continue
to maintain a strong New York presence with frequent
performances at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall,
Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, and Symphony Space
as well as the downtown venues of Joe’s Pub and Le
Poisson Rouge. They also appear regularly at festivals such as
Ravinia, Saratoga, Mostly Mozart, Caramoor, Rockport, Bard, and
Norfolk.
Believing that education on all levels is essential to the
future of classical music, the Claremont Trio is extensively
involved in teaching the next generation of musicians and music
lovers. Sought after for their effectiveness in the classroom
as well as on the concert stage, the Trio frequently conducts
residencies, master classes, and educational outreach
activities. In addition to their ongoing residency at Longwood
University, Randolph College, Sweet Briar College and Hampden
Sydney College, they have conducted master classes at the
Eastman School of Music, Columbia University, Duke University,
Peabody Conservatory’s Preparatory Division, Boston
Conservatory, Purchase College at SUNY, Middlebury College, the
University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, Longy School of Music, the
University of Washington, Kansas State University, and
Gettysburg College's Sunderman Conservatory.
Deeply
committed to expanding the trio repertoire, the Trio works
actively with composers on new works. They have commissioned
new trios by Nico Muhly, Gabriela Lena Frank, Mason Bates, Sean
Shepherd, Helen Grime, Donald Crockett, Robert Paterson, Paul
Chihara, Sharon Farber, Howard Frazin, Daniel Kellogg, and
Hillary Zipper, and have an ongoing collaboration with
innovative composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain.
The group frequently performs the Beethoven Triple Concerto
with orchestras such as the Nashville Symphony, Virginia
Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and Utah Symphony. They have
collaborated with Peter Martins, director of the New York City
Ballet, on a ballet based on Paul Schoenfield's "Cafe
Music,” and have also been privileged to perform with
many distinguished guest artists including Toby Appel, Beth
Guterman, Joseph Kalichstein, Martha Katz, Jaime Laredo, Ida
Kavafian, Robert McDonald, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Sharon
Robinson, and Richard Young.
The Claremont Trio has been featured on Japanese and
American television and is heard on radio stations throughout
the U.S. and abroad, including Australia’s ABC, New
York’s WQXR, Boston’s WGBH, Chicago’s WFMT,
Salt Lake City’s KBYU, and Columbia University’s
WKCR. Since 2006, they have kept a blog that describes their
adventures on the road. Through this online tour diary the
members of the trio reach out to friends and music lovers of
all ages around the world, offering a window into their lives
as traveling musicians.
Twin sisters Emily
Bruskin (violin) and Julia Bruskin (cello) formed the Trio with
Donna Kwong (piano) in 1999 at The Juilliard School. The
Bruskins both play old French instruments, Emily’s violin
a Lupot from 1795 and Julia’s cello a J.B. Vuillaume from
1849. Donna Kwong is a Steinway Artist. The Claremonts are
based in New York City near their namesake: Claremont Avenue.