Montana Chamber Music Society (MCMS) continues its 9th season of “Great Chamber Music under the Big Sky” with a fantastic trio performance on Friday, April 13th at MSU’s Reynolds Recital Hall beginning at 7:30pm. Pianist Philip Aaberg, violinist Angella Ahn and cellist Sara Stalnaker will perform Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50, Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67, and Frank Martin Piano Trio on popular Irish folk tunes.
Philip Aaberg gained international recognition through a series of successful piano recordings released on Windham Hill Records. Classically trained, he incorporates classical, jazz, bluegrass, rock, and new music elements into his compositions and musical structures. Although best known for his solo piano work, he is most at home in the chamber jazz genre. His compositions are noted for their “rigorous keyboard technique, diverse influences, and colorful compositional style.”
Angella Ahn has said, “Every note you play has to have love and magic in it.” While she has performed her alchemy as a soloist, playing with, among others, the Honolulu Symphony, the Louisville Symphony, and the KBS Orchestra, Angella often performs with the Ahn Trio, created by her and her twin sisters while they studied at the Juilliard School of Music. Her trio tours the world, playing in such venues as New York’s Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Argentina’s Teatro Colon, and The Beijing Concert Hall. In 2011, President Obama invited the sisters to perform at the White House for a State Dinner honoring South Korea. Angella and her sisters have reached audiences not only through performing live, but through making six highly acclaimed recordings – one of which won Germany’s highest musical honor, the Echo Award.
Sara Stalnaker has performed as a chamber musician with acclaimed groups ranging from the Turtle Island to the Orion and Borromeo String Quartets. She has collaborated in concerts with renowned talents Jonathan Biss, Matt Haimovitz, and Kim Kashkashian, and has performed as a regular member of the New Haven and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestras. Notable work includes a recording on the MMC label, a recent soundtrack for PBS, and a project of Reinhardt transcriptions on the KidsClassics label. Sara received a B.M. under the tutelage of Peter Rejto at Oberlin Conservatory, followed by an M.M. under Norman Fischer at Rice University.
Admission to all MCMS performances is $27 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased at www.montanachambermusicsociety.org. These are also available at Cactus Records in Downtown Bozeman and at the door.
