A free spring concert!

Trio Gaia, which is in residence at the New England Conservatory, performs at Saugus Public Library on April 10

(Editor’s Note: The following info is from a press release issued by the Saugus Public Library this week.)

  Join us for free classical music to help usher in spring! Trio Gaia, a professional piano trio in residence at the New England Conservatory (NEC), will perform at 1 p.m. on April 10 in the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library (295 Central St.). Trio Gaia, the newest professional trio-in-residence at the NEC, is dedicated to offering audiences dynamic, personally relevant experiences inside and outside the concert hall.

  Recently the trio won second prize in the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition and was awarded the Vianello Family Audience Prize in the Plowman National Chamber Music Competition. Prior to serving as trio-in-residence, Trio Gaia served as an Honors Ensemble and Community Performances & Partnership fellows at NEC, in recognition of their work sharing classical music in the community. They have presented concerts at venues ranging from the historic Boston Public Library to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have crafted educational content for the Panama Jazz Festival as well as local schools and senior homes. Trio Gaia was invited to Carnegie Hall’s Audience Engagement Intensive – presented in collaboration with Ensemble Connect – which allowed the trio to reach audiences across New York City with accessible, interactive performances.

  Recent engagements, both in-person and virtual, have included performances for Music for Food, NEC’s Black Student Union, Boston’s outdoor Experience Chinatown!, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Opus Illuminate, a concert series dedicated to showcasing music by composers underrepresented in classical music. The 2021-22 season will include recitals in New Hampshire and Boston, including the trio’s annual Jordan Hall recital, and the launch of their adventurous audience-interactive initiative – Commission: Engage – which will be shared in a series of recital and community engagement experiences.

  As individuals, violinist Grant Houston, cellist Yi-Mei Templeman and pianist Andrew Barnwell have established performing careers that have taken them to nine countries for a range of solo and collaborative opportunities. Together, the trio has studied extensively with renowned artists Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Donald Weilerstein, Merry Peckham and Max Levinson. Additional mentors include cellists Lluís Claret and Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and pianists Victor Rosenbaum and Orli Shaham. When not rehearsing or performing, you can find Trio Gaia shopping for new outfits or cooking together.

  The program will feature:

• Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 (“Archduke Trio”) – Ludwig van Beethoven; I Allegro moderato; III Andante cantabile ma pero con moto. Poco piu adagio; V Allegro moderato – Presto
• Roots II – David Baker; I Incantation, III Sorrow Song, IV Jubilee

  This event is funded by the Saugus Cultural Council, a local arm of the Mass Cultural Council.