All-Female Chamber Group: The Eroica Trio
Album "American Journey" Features Gershwin, O'Conner and Bernstein
Dec 3, 2008
With a name like Eroica Trio, one might think the three women who make up this American chamber ensemble specialize in Beethoven's robust works. But the Eroica Trio didn't rise to the top of the chamber music circuit simply through a one trick act.
Though the Beethoven Triple Concerto has become a signature work (the Erioca Trio performs this piece for violin, cello and piano more than any other trio in the world), the group feels equally at ease with the Baroque composer Vivaldi and the contemporary composer Paul Schoenfield.
An American Journey: The Eroica Trio's Latest Recorded Album
In their recorded repertoire, the trio mixes big names--Brahms, Dvorak and Bach--with lesser-known composers, such as Jean Baptiste Loeillet of Ghent. The trio has also alternated between offering the meat and potatoes staples of German chamber music and the spicer dishes served up by Spanish and Latin American composers.
Yet until this October, their recordings have largely featured composers from any nationality but their own. After "traveling abroad" musically for over 10 years, their latest album, An American Journey, finally takes listeners back home. The album pays tribute to American composers Gershwin, O'Conner and Bernstein.
From the sultry "Summertime" to the saucy airs from West Side Story, An American Journey revels in classics from American musical theatre. And fiddle player Mark O'Conner's Poets and Prophets memorializes the life of Johnny Cash, a symbol of gritty, working class America.
The Eroica Trio: Erika Nickrenz, Susie Park and Sara Sant'Ambrogio
The all-female chamber ensemble is made up of Erika Nickrenz on the piano, Susie Park on the violin and Sara Sant'Ambrogio on the cello. The trio has been performing since 1997, but only with its current members since 2006. The trio had originally included Adela Peña on the violin, but a fatigue-related injury prompted her to hand over her spot to Susie Park.
- Erika Nickrenz, piano: Nickernz has been performing the piano publically since her concerto debut at the age of 11. She received a B.M. and M.M. degree from the Julliard School and also has a thriving solo career.
- Susie Park, violin: The newcomer to the group, Park hails from Sidney, Australia and is a founding member of ECCO, a conductor-less chamber orchestra for young musicians.
- Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello: Sant'Ambrogio's performance of Bernstein's "Arias and Barcarolles" on Koch Records earned her a Grammy Award. She has also been featured on two PBS documentaries, and four of her music videos can be found on Classic FM TV.
The Eroica Trio on MySpace, Last.fm, YouTube and Blogspot
The group can be found all over the internet, from MySpace to Last.fm to YouTube to Susie Park's own blogging updates.
