Giving performances that are “lithe, persuasive” (The New York Times), “eloquent and enthralling” (The Boston Globe), and described as “the most compelling American group to come on the scene” (The New Yorker), the Horszowski Trio has quickly become a vital force in the international chamber music world since their formation in 2011. In 2023, the “Horszowski Trio Prize” was created by the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, to award piano trio winners.
In 2019, the Horszowski Trio made its London debut in a sold-out concert presented by Wigmore Hall. Their success has led into a 21-concert-tour in Germany in 2022, and they were acclaimed by major critics: “This ensemble can play anything.”; “With all the intensity of the expression that the three musicians achieve, they play in a finely tuned manner, span gripping musical arcs, work out surprising details, amaze with their interpretive imagination and stylistically confident sensitivity.”; “While listening to their Dvorak Dumky Trio, you couldn’t believe that it was not a Czech but an American ensemble playing.”
During the COVID pandemic, the trio managed to keep performing, including a special project in several performances of Morton Feldman’s epic, two-hour- long Piano Trio — an artistically rewarding and timely work which offers a poignant reflection of the isolation of the times and also a hopeful and spiritual oasis.
The Horszowski Trio has appeared at major venues in the U.S., including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, as well as Mexico, Canada, Japan, and throughout Europe and Asia. Their recording of the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann on AVIE Records received tremendous acclaim: “great care and affection” (BBC Radio); “intoxicating” (Gramophone); “exciting and deeply felt” (Strings); “fresh, supple and fantastic” (The Strad).
The Trio takes its inspiration from the musicianship, integrity, and humanity of the pre-eminent pianist Mieczysław Horszowski (1892–1993); the ensemble’s pianist, Rieko Aizawa, was Horszowski’s last pupil at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. Described as “power players” by the Los Angeles Times, the Horszowski Trio’s repertoire includes works by many of the composers with whom Mr. Horszowski had personal interaction, including Gabriel Fauré, Enrique Granados, Bohuslav Martinů, Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saëns and Heitor Villa-Lobos. The Horszowski Trio’s debut recording – an album of works by Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Vincent d’Indy on the Bridge label – was released in 2014 and dedicated to the memory of Mieczysław Horszowski. Gramophone praised the “exemplary performance” of the “highly accomplished group,” concluding, “I long to hear more of the Horszowski Trio.”
In addition to their performance cycles of the complete trios of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, the Horszowski Trio is a passionate advocate for the music of our time. They have worked with the legendary composers John Harbison, Charles Wuorinen, and Joan Tower, for whom the Trio recorded “For Daniel” in celebration of her 75th birthday. Recent premieres include works by Daron Hagen, Eric Moe, and (through a grant from Chamber Music America) Andreia Pinto-Correia. Other premieres include works by Kenji Bunch, Stewart Goodyear, Scott Lindroth, Louis Karchin, and Charles Wuorinen in addition to their “Phantasiestücke Project” which commemorates their 10th anniversary with three new works by Derek Bermel, Paul Chihara and David Fulmer. The Trio’s violinist Jesse Mills, a two-time Grammy nominee who is also a composer and arranger, wrote “Painted Shadow” for the ensemble; the work was commissioned by and premiered at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, New York in January 2015.
The Horszowski Trio is based in New York City. It is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts and and of the Leschetizky Association in New York City.
