Eroica Trio
Encyclopedia
The Eroica Trio is an American piano trio
consisting of Erika Nickrenz
, piano
; Susie Park, violin
; and Sara Sant'Ambrogio
, cello
. Park joined the trio in September 2006 . The trio take their name from Beethoven's
Eroica Symphony
. They have toured and recorded widely, and released six recordings for Angel
/EMI Classics
Records, garnering multiple Grammy Award
nominations.
The founding members of the trio were Nickrenz, Sant'Ambrogio, and Adela Peña
. They were all trained at the Juilliard School
. Park is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and studied at the New England Conservatory. In addition to being accomplished musicians, the Eroica Trio have attracted attention in the chamber music
world from some as physically attractive
, stylishly dressed women.
The trio took first prize in the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Competition
in 1991. Their first compact disc
recording Eroica Trio won National Public Radio's 1997 Performance Today
Award for "Debut Recording of the Year."
In addition to touring with a varied piano trio repertoire, the Eroica Trio often appear in concert with major orchestra
s performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto
. They were scheduled to perform that work with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans in 2005, a performance which was cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina
.
The Eroica Trio commissioned a triple concerto by American composer Kevin Kaska. It was premiered by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
in November 2001.
Piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
consisting of Erika Nickrenz
Erika Nickrenz
Erika Nickrenz is an American classical pianist best known as the pianist for the Eroica Trio.Both her parents are professional musicians, her mother a Grammy Award-winning pianist and her father a violist...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
; Susie Park, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
; and Sara Sant'Ambrogio
Sara Sant'Ambrogio
Sara Sant'Ambrogio is an American cellist best known as a member of the Eroica Trio.She was born in Boston and began her studies with her father, John Sant'Ambrogio, principal cellist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. She was invited to study with David Soyer at the Curtis Institute of Music...
, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
. Park joined the trio in September 2006 . The trio take their name from Beethoven's
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
Eroica Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E flat major , also known as the Eroica , is a landmark musical work marking the full arrival of the composer's "middle-period," a series of unprecedented large scale works of emotional depth and structural rigor.The symphony is widely regarded as a mature...
. They have toured and recorded widely, and released six recordings for Angel
Angel Records
Angel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...
/EMI Classics
EMI Classics
EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
Records, garnering multiple Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations.
The founding members of the trio were Nickrenz, Sant'Ambrogio, and Adela Peña
Adela Peña
Adela Peña is an American violinist best known as a founding member of the Eroica Trio.She was born in New York City and began playing the violin at age 4. In New York, she studied at the Henry Street Music School with violin/viola teacher Rochelle Walton....
. They were all trained at the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. Park is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and studied at the New England Conservatory. In addition to being accomplished musicians, the Eroica Trio have attracted attention in the chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
world from some as physically attractive
Physical attractiveness
Physical attractiveness refers to a person's physical traits which are perceived to be aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. The term often implies sexual attractiveness or desirability, but can also be distinct from the two; for example, humans may regard the young as attractive for various...
, stylishly dressed women.
The trio took first prize in the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Competition
Walter W. Naumburg Foundation
The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. It was founded in 1925 by Walter Wehle Naumburg, a wealthy amateur cellist and son of noted New York music patron and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg. Elkan Naumburg, owner of...
in 1991. Their first compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
recording Eroica Trio won National Public Radio's 1997 Performance Today
Performance Today
Performance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
Award for "Debut Recording of the Year."
In addition to touring with a varied piano trio repertoire, the Eroica Trio often appear in concert with major orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
s performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto
Triple Concerto (Beethoven)
Ludwig van Beethoven's Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C Major, Op. 56, more commonly known as the Triple Concerto, was composed in 1803 and later published in 1804 under Breitkopf & Hartel. The choice of the three solo instruments effectively makes this a concerto for piano trio and the...
. They were scheduled to perform that work with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only full-time, professional orchestra in the Gulf South. The music director is Carlos Miguel Prieto....
at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans in 2005, a performance which was cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
The Eroica Trio commissioned a triple concerto by American composer Kevin Kaska. It was premiered by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
in November 2001.