Hailed as “…an exemplar” by Chamber Music America, the New World Trio has been lauded right from its inception for its innovative programming. This has been a large portion of its mission, and NWT has a history of commissioning and performing modern works along with established standards. This is as it should be for, as with other fine arts, classical chamber music has been developed over centuries. Each generation of composers is fully conscious of this past, and as individuals they are intensely aware of the double demand this history has placed upon them. The first is a simple desire to measure up: the recognized composers of earlier periods have set a standard of expression that drives (or haunts) contemporary composers. The second imperative is the creation of new and insightful works, pieces that embrace the sensibilities of our own time without squandering those of the past. In an age of instant gratification, this approach to music-making is unique indeed.

This ethos of going forward within a context of established quality applies to musicians as well, for it requires a mastering of the many styles found within classical music. This is particularly true with chamber music, where each player is effectively an “interactive soloist” who must continually respond and adjust to the other performers.

This year, New World will continue to explore the relationship between past, present, and future. The first program, Commemoration, will include Rachmaninoff’s early one-movement elegiac trio and Daron Hagen’s highly-lauded, commemorative trio “Angel Band”. The composer will join WNEPM’s classical music host John Nowacki for a pre-concert discussion. The powerful, orchestral Shostakovich Trio #2 concludes the program. “Motivation”, program #2, features pieces by composers at their hard-working peak: Foote, Frank Martin, and Schumann. Our final program, “Determination”, reflects the fortitude needed to achieve acceptance in what was once a nearly exclusively male profession. The works of Rebecca Clarke, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and Chen Yi are all well-crafted, lyrical, and simply beautiful.