Born in Seoul, Korea, and educated at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York, the Ahn Trio — sisters Maria, Lucia and Angella — return to Edison Theatre at 8 p.m. Feb. 28 to present a piano-trio repertoire with commissioned works by some of today’s most visionary composers.
Courtesy Photo
The Ahn Trio — (from left) Maria, Lucia and Angella — will bring extraordinary talent and style to Edison Theatre Feb. 28.
In addition, the trio will present a special matinee performance in the ovations for young people series at 11 a.m. that day. The entire family can enjoy the Ahn sisters, musicians who are setting the standard for the next generation of chamber ensembles.
The evening program features “Divertissement for Violin, Cello and Piano,” the first trio Nikolai Kaspustin has composed for the Ahns, and Pat Metheny’s “Yu Ryung” (Korean for “ghost figure”), which the musicians premiered in summer 2008 in Mexico and have performed in New York, China and Korea.
The trio will conclude its performance with selections from “Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac,” the musicians’ latest CD, recorded on their own label, L.A.M.P.
The Ahns will perform these works with special guests Taku Hirano, a top-rated percussionist who has played with Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Bette Midler, Dr. Dre and Stevie Nicks; and The Kin, Australian-born brothers Thorry and Isaac Koren.
Of The Kin, Billboard Magazine wrote, “The Australian siblings have a radiant gift for songwriting and performing that infuses their live shows and is winning believers in clubs across the United States. The Koren brothers’ trump cards are their vocals and dual harmonies — unaffected and quietly passionate. Hearing their partnership is a humbling experience.”
Lucia (piano), Angella (violin) and Maria (cello) have fused their work with that of dancers, pop singers, disc jockeys, electronic music artists, painters, installation artists, photographers, lighting designers, ecologists and even kite makers and have received critical acclaim for their collaborative project with the David Parsons Dance Company.
This summer, the Ahns were the only classical group to be invited to perform at the iTunes LIVE Festival in London. Their engaging live performance with Tata Bojs at the Czech Grammys led to the Ahns’ recording a collaborative album, “Smetana,” with the award-winning Czech rock band.
Next year, the trio will premiere Mark O’Conner’s “Triple Concerto” as well as Nikolai Kapustin’s second trio — works that the award-winning composers are writing.
Possessing a hypnotic combination of talent and style, the Ahns are inviting subjects for the international press. They made their magazine premiere as teens in Time’s cover story “Asian American Whiz Kids” and have gone on to frequent fashion pages, the likes of Vogue and GQ. In 2003, they were named three of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People.
The Ahns recently signed a multialbum exclusive recording artist contract with SonyBMG International. The trio is in high demand, performing and leading master classes and workshops across the United States and around the world. Wherever the Ahns travel, they share their innovative spirit and ever-evolving vision of music.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance ($20 for students and children; $28 for faculty, staff and seniors; and $32 for the public) and the 11 a.m. performance ($10) are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets.
For more information, call 935-6543.