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Chamber Music magazine Three for the Road by Fred Cohn Building a career is an arduous process for any chamber music ensemble, but it’s particularly tough for piano trios. In the eyes of some chamber music presenters, string quartets are where the action is; with the exception of a few established ensembles, trios often find themselves hard-pressed to gain notice. “We see a lot of excellent young piano trios, but there isn’t enough for them to go for,” says Sharon Robinson, cellist of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson (KLR) trio. Trio playing carries a tinge of individualism—a factor that makes the groups suspect in the eyes of some presenters. String quartets speak as one unified voice; trios mesh three strong, discrete voices. The players are simultaneously ensemble members and soloists. They may even base their careers around this dual identity. A cellist like Robinson can play the Schumann concerto two days after a chamber music concert. It’s hard to imagine a quartet player doing the same. “When we started out as a trio, some chamber music societies balked at hiring us,” says Robinson. They thought that three people who weren’t together all the time couldn’t be a true chamber music ensemble.” In the quartet-centric world of presenters, though, Lois Beznos is an exception. As president of the Chamber Music Society of Detroit, she has long delighted in presenting piano trio concerts. And in 2003, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the KLR Trio, she instituted the biennial Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award (KLRITA). Robinson eagerly joined in the project, and they worked to enlist the presenters, musicians, and donors who would make the award possible. Sending out an international call for nominations, they eventually convened a panel of seven musicians and presenters (along with a professional facilitator) to assess the candidates. The first winner was the Claremont Trio—Emily Bruskin, violin; Julia Bruskin, cello; and Donna Kwong, piano. “I won’t say it was an easy choice, but it was a clear choice,” says Joel Smirnoff, first violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet, who served on the adjudicating panel. “They’ve got a unified conception, and the ability to move together. It’s something you really have to work at.” Since there’s no audition and no competition for KLRITA, the Claremonts were hardly even aware of the award before the phone call that told them they’d won it. Needless to say, it was welcome news. KLRITA is modeled on CMA’s Cleveland Quartet Award, offering a set of benefits aimed directly at the needs of young ensembles. KLRITA’s most significant component is a contract for 20 concerts nationwide, over a two-year period. The twenty presenters behind the award each contributed $30,000 to the award’s endowment fund. In return for their investment, each gets to present every KRLITA winner in perpetuity, with fees paid out of the fund. For the presenters, aside from the satisfaction of fostering young talent, it’s a way of guaranteeing a concert every two years. The award also includes a chance to record (for Arabesque), and the loan of an historic violin and cello from Machold Rare Violins. (The Claremont Trio recently released its Arabesque CD of the Mendelssohn trios; the group has chosen to retain its own instruments.) For the award’s founders, KLRITA is important for the attention it draws not just to young performers, but to the rich variety of the trio repertoire itself. “You can imagine Brahms or Beethoven writing this music to play with their friends,” says Robinson. It’s music from the heart.” But without question, the most dramatic effect of KLRITA is the exposure it provides. “Young people don’t have this kind of thing—certainly not in chamber music, which isn’t set up in a ‘who’s-the-next-star’ manner,” says Joseph Kalichstein. “Even if everybody in the profession talks about them, there’s nothing like this—an instant 20 concerts with major exposure. The point hasn’t been lost on the winners. “In an informed and intelligent way, says Julia Bruskin, “this award has found the things that a young group needs.” Fred Cohn is Chamber Music magazine’s contributing editor. Reprinted with permission from Chamber Music magazine. Return to the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award |
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