Don’t miss a unique opportunity Sunday, January 29th, to hear the Poinsett Piano Trio in concert! The internationally-acclaimed ensemble will perform Dvorák and Ravel’s timeless music, with a “meet the artists” reception to follow. This Fripp Island Friends of Music concert is 5 pm, at the Fripp Island Community Centre.
In 2008 pianist David Gross, violinist Deirdre Hutton and cellist Christopher Hutton founded the Trio, named in honor of Joel Roberts Poinsett, South Carolina statesman, physician, botanist, and discoverer of the Mexican Poinsettia.
The Trio brings together musicians from German, New Zealand, and American backgrounds. The three teach at Furman University, Greenville, SC, and have enchanted audiences from New Zealand to the 2011 Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston.
Rave reviews follow the ensemble around the world:
“One of the best things…was the space each instrument was given when it was their time to shine.” – Val Sheriff, Tauranga
“An enchanting and emotional experience. A surreal and magical journey.” – Ben Curran, the Marlborough Express
“Impeccable, with complete rapport between the players. There was nothing between the audience and the composer’s intentions.”– Rosemary Collier, Middle C Concert Reviews
Pianist David Gross is an associate professor of piano at Furman University. In addition to Trio concerts, he performs solo widely in the U.S. and Europe, earning prizes in international competitions. Born in Berlin, Germany, he first performed publicly when he was seven. His musical education includes the Hochschule Munich, Hochschule Hannover, Yale University, and University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He taught at Western Michigan University, Goshen College and the Hochschule “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin (State Conservatory).
U.S. born Deirdre Hutton is an adjunct professor of violin at Furman, and an avid solo, chamber and orchestral performer. She has played throughout the U.S. and Europe with the National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, New World Symphony and the Schlossfestspiele Chamber Orchestra of Heidelberg. She studied at the Eastman School of Music and earned her Master’s degree at Northwestern University. While a member of the Haydn Chamber Symphony of London, she studied under Itzhak Rashkovsky and was Concertmaster of the Imperial Collegium Musicum Ensemble. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the Roanoke, VA, Symphony.
Cellist Christopher Hutton is an associate professor of violincello and string chamber music, actively performing in the U.S. and overseas. He was co-principal cellist in the New World Symphony Orchestra under director Michael Tilson Thomas and played in U.S. orchestras and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with prominent New Zealand composers Helen Bowater and Christopher Marshall and Georgia’s Mitchell Turner. He studied at Boston University and earned master’s and doctorate degrees at the Eastman School of Music—where he was teaching assistant to renowned cellist Steven Doane. He also taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of Delaware and the Eastern Music Festival.
January 29th’s performance, featuring music of Dvorák and Ravel, promises to be a delight. Antonín Dvorák’s Piano Trio in E Minor, Op. 90: Dumky incorporates a continuous variety of song and dance that has made it an audience favorite since it was first performed in 1891. Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor demonstrates his masterly orchestration. He develops textures among the trio’s instruments, creating vivid musical “colors” likened to dappled-light Impressionist paintings. Count on the Poinsett Piano Trio to deliver these composers’ genius to a rapt and very pleased audience. Additionally, the Trio will perform for Beaufort High School students the next day.
Enjoy the Poinsett Piano Trio Sunday, January 29th, 5 pm, at the Fripp Island Community Centre. Tickets at the door $20; students $10. Your admission includes a sumptuous post-performance reception by Harold’s Catering, so you can meet other music lovers and chat with the artists in a congenial setting. Free Fripp gate pass for all concertgoers. More info: (843) 838-6655.
