Oberlin Trio
The Oberlin Trio was founded in 1982 by three faculty members of the Oberlin Conservatory: Stephen Clapp, violin; Andor Toth Jr., cello; and Joseph Schwartz, piano.
Original members
Both Clapp and Schwartz were winners of the coveted Naumburg Award and have retired. Cellist Andor Toth Jr., also former cellist of the New Hungarian Quartet, died in 2002.
New cellists
After Toth's death, the Trio continued to perform with cellists Peter Rejto and Darrett Atkins.
Touring
The Oberlin Trio has toured internationally with both traditional repertoire and more unusual works by composers Leon Kirchner, Frank Bridge, and Camille Saint-Saëns.
New York Review
On Tuesday, May 23, 1989, New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn wrote about the Trio in a concert of the complete chamber music of Maurice Ravel, presented at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Sunday, May 21, 1989: "The outstanding performances of the afternoon included a lush, resilient rendering of the Quartet . . . as well as a fevered, emphatically arching account of the Piano Trio, by the Oberlin Trio (Joseph Schwartz, piano, Andor Toth Jr., cellist, and Mr. Clapp)."
New members
In 2008, Stephen Clapp and Darrett Adkins chose new members to carry on the distinguished legacy of the Oberlin Trio. The new Oberlin Trio members are violinist David Bowlin, cellist Amir Eldan, and pianist Haewon Song. All are faculty members at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Selected discography
- Leon Kirchner Piano Trio , performed by the Oberlin Trio
- 20th century American Piano Trios
- French Trios - Maurice Ravel, Jean Baptiste Loeillet of Ghent, Claude Debussy
External links
- Oberlin Trio website
- Oberlin Trio management
- Stephen Clapp Juilliard Biography
- Joseph Schwartz Retires From Conservatory
- Oberlin Conservatory Andor Toth Jr. Obituary