Altenberg Trio performs in Occidental

Rare Chance to Hear Masterful

Altenberg Trio Visiting From Vienna

at the Redwood Arts Council concert in Occidental

8 PM on Saturday, April 2

… played it with insightful, precisely controlled fury…nothing short of stunning. 

~The Washington Post

Since its debut in 1994, the Altenberg Trio has given over 1000 performances and earned a reputation as one of the most daring and consistent ensembles of its kind. The trio appears on April 2nd at 8 P.M. in the Occidental Center for the Arts with a program of Haydn’s Trio in d minor, Chausson’s Trio, Opus 3, and Brahms’ Trio in B Major, Opus 8.

One of only two ensembles ever awarded the Robert Schumann Award of the City of Zwickau since 1964, the trio’s repertoire encompasses over 200 piano trios, among them works composed specifically for the trio. It is the Trio-in-Residence of the Vienna Conservatory, and the trio performs regularly at the International Brahms Festival in Austria and provides master classes in Europe and the U.S.

The Altenberg Trio takes pride in remaining faithful to the style and tradition of the “Viennese sound” so often admired in reviews. Violinist Amiram Ganz plays a violin by Goffredo Cappa (1686) and cellist Alexander Gebert plays a cello by Nicolas Vuillaume (1800-1871). The trio currently has 10 recordings on the Challenge label in repertoire ranging from German and French classics to American music.

Pianist Claus-Christian Schuster was born in Vienna in 1952. He studied in Vienna, at Indiana University in Bloomington, and at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. From 1976 to 1986, Mr. Schuster taught at the Vienna Musikhochschule. He won awards at several international piano and chamber music competitions, performing as a soloist until 1984 when he founded the Vienna Schubert Trio, a regular guest at the most important music centers and renowned chamber music festivals. In 1994, he founded the Altenberg Trio Wien with his colleagues Amiram Ganz and Martin Hornstein.

Violinist Amiram Ganz was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1952. At the age of eleven he won the Jeunesses Musicales Competition and then continued his studies in the U.S. He then studied at the International Academy of Chamber Music in Rome, and between 1974 and 1979 at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. He became first concertmaster of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg in 1980. In 1994, he became a founding member of the Altenberg Trio of Vienna. Mr. Ganz teaches at the Strasbourg Conservatory and as a member of the trio, leads seminars for music majors at the Vienna Conservatory.

Cellist Alexander Gebert was born in 1977 to a musical family in Warsaw. He studied cello at the Turku Conservatory in Finland and later at the Sibelius Academy. From 1995 to 1998, he received a Polish state scholarship to study at the Chopin Academy in Warsaw. After graduation, he continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory. Mr. Gebert won his first international contest at the age of 16 and additional prizes as his studies progressed. In 2000, he played with the Orchestre de la Susse Romande, with Heinrich Schiff conducting. He performs widely both as a soloist and chamber musician at many prestigious venues. In 2004 he was invited to join the Altenberg Trio Vienna.

The concert takes place in the new Occidental Center for the Arts, located at the west end of Occidental. The new home for the Redwood Arts features great acoustics and excellent sight lines to the stage. 

This outstanding concert takes place at 8 PM on Saturday, April 2. Tickets may be purchased through brownpapertickets.com, at Handgoods in Occidental, and if available, at the concert. Prices are $25.00 for general admission, and $10.00 for full-time students with ID. Infants and very young children not recommended. For further information, visit redwoodarts.org or call 874-1124.