"There are no weak pieces in the programme, and all draw sensitive and committed playing from the trio"

Gramophone Magazine

Ovidiu Marinescu, cello
Timothy Schwarz, violin
Mădălina-Claudia Dănilă, piano

Since making a highly-praised debut at the 1996 edition of the Pablo Casals Festival in Puerto Rico, Trio Casals has delighted audiences with spectacular virtuosity, engaging enthusiasm, and exquisite musical elegance. The ensemble released several commercial albums with PARMA Recordings and Navona Records to critical acclaim with Ovidiu Marinescu and past members including Anna Kislitysyna, Alexandr Kislitsyn, and Sylvia Ahramjian, from the beloved MOTO series to A GRAND JOURNEY and more. Marinescu remains in the current ensemble line up, with Mădălina-Claudia Dănilă and Timothy Schwarz joining in 2024.

Trio Casals has appeared in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall regularly since their debut performance at the prestigious venue in 2016. Beyond New York City, the virtuosic chamber ensemble has held performances on a global scale, reaching from the Rachmaninov Hall of the Moscow Conservatory to Holywell Room in Oxford, England, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and large-scale tours in China and Romania. Other notable previous engagements include a week-long collaboration with the Nashville Ballet and composer Michael Kurek, appearances in the Triple Concerto by Beethoven with the Helena and Southeastern PA Symphonies, and concerts in Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware.

Trio Casals has created original programs that juxtapose the great classical tradition of Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, and Tchaikovsky with new works written by American composers, such as Paul Schoenfield, Michael Kurek, George Rochberg, Hilary Tann, and over 30 other contemporary composers, of whom many have written for Trio Casals: Diane Jones, L Peter Deutsch, Joanna Estelle, Clive Muncaster, David Nisbet Stewart, Nicolas Ascioti, Brian Noyes, and Joanne D. Carey, to name a few. The trio often plays the works of Astor Piazzolla, who brought the Argentine tango from the dance halls onto the concert stage. In addition to its performing schedule, Trio Casals is committed to music education, offering regular master classes at schools and colleges. Its members have played in shelters for victims of domestic abuse, nursing homes, and hospitals, and all three have a distinguished career as soloists.

For several years it has been my great joy and privilege to work with this wonderful ensemble in a variety of cities and settings, including live performances for large and small audiences, ballet, and recording. These include my extremely demanding piano trio in New Orleans and performances with the Nashville Ballet, and a commissioned work “Ollie’s Romp” with the addition of harpsichord and organ in Lewes, Delaware. In all cases, these fine musicians have been a joy to work with, from their extraordinary, polished and passionate playing to their engaging personalities and charm with audiences and wonderfully collaborative spirits in rehearsals. I am happy to see their reputation continually growing, because this is an ensemble that deserves to be widely known and appreciated.
– Michael Kurek, Composer, Vanderbilt University

Trio Casals is superb. I first heard cellist Ovidiu Marinescu over two decades ago and was immediately captivated by his extraordinary musicianship. Subsequently I worked with virtuoso lyrical violinist, Sylvia Ahramjian, and surpassingly fine pianist, Anna Kislitsyna. When I had the opportunity to select a trio for my own landmark concert I did not hesitate to nominate Trio Casals and the concert proved to be legendarily successful. Bravo Trio Casals!
– Hilary Tann, composer, Union College

As Western classical music continues to grow popular in China a renowned trio named Trio Casals had a very successful tour in China this past March (2019). During two weeks of many beautiful and elegant performances in several major cities, Trio Casals not only brought all of their great energy and individual virtuosity into every concert but also showed a high level of a wonderful chamber music cohesion. They set off a classical music boom among the audiences who were deeply moved by the romanticism and power in their music. Meanwhile, during the audience engagement section, their accessibility and humble personality as well as personal charisma made them immediately likable to everyone. Undoubtedly, Trio Casals will be warmly welcomed again by the Chinese audience. – Katty Dai, China Concert Management, Shanghai

I had the privilege of working with the Trio Casals for a recording and performance of my piece “Ondine”. Not only was the Trio always professional and very open to suggestions and changes but the quality of the playing was always consistent high. They embody a rare combination of exceptional skin, musicianship and willingness to collaborate that made working with them a true pleasure from the first rehearsal to the premiere at Carnegie Hall. – Giovanni Piacentini, Composer

I have just listened to this recording three times, and it sounds GREAT!!!! Thank you so much to Trio Casals and everyone on the Engineering Team (Please, please, pass along my gratitude)!! I am so happy with the way this sounds! – Matthew Fuerst, Composer

The Society for New Music (Syracuse, New York) hosted Trio Casals for a concert of New York women composers and were very happy with their program and especially with their performance! They are stellar musicians and lovely people. – Neva Pilgrim, Artistic Director

I recently had the pleasure to collaborate with Trio Casals for the recording of my piano trio “Los ritmos para tres” for an upcoming CD album by PARMA Recordings. I was able to hear the livestream of the recording session, and they executed my piece wonderfully; you could tell they were really focused, playing with great attention to detail, and enjoying every second of it. They are outstanding musicians, as well as very nice people to work with. Thank you Trio Casals for your amazing performance. I’m looking forward to hearing “Los ritmos para tres” performed live at Carnegie Hall soon! – Edna Alejandra Longoria, composer

“I was so happy with our recording session for Lines, Hockets, and Riffs. The trio clearly understood the music. These sessions tend to be nerve-wracking for me, since what I had control over is no longer under my control. But in fact the session was a pleasure.” – Composer Sidney Bailin on Trio Casals and MOTO BELLO

“The recording process for Ondine was top notch…. With regards to the Trio, I can’t say enough good things about their attitude, professionalism and devotion to the music. These types of artist are the reason why I enjoy what I do so much. Congrats on assembling a star team!” – Composer Giovanni Piacentini on PARMA, Trio Casals, and MOTO BELLO

“Many thanks to Trio Casals, Ovidiu Marinescu & Anna Kislitsyna, Bob Lord, & everyone at PARMA for making this event happen. It was a wonderful evening and I was honored to be a part of it.” – Composer Bruce Babcock on the May 2018 performance of MOTO BELLO at Weill Recital Hall

News

July 15, 2024

Event: The Works of Carl Vollrath

November 10, 2023

Event: Trio Casals at Carnegie

July 17, 2023

PARMA Artists Selected as 2023 Global Music Award Winners

May 19, 2023

Built For Performance: Trio Casals Brings Their Music to Carnegie Hall

May 5, 2023

Event: Trio Casals at Carnegie

February 6, 2023

Event: Trio Casals at Carnegie

January 3, 2022

PARMA Artists Selected as 2021 Global Music Award Winners

February 5, 2020

The Inside Story: Trio Casals and MOTO CELESTE

July 3, 2019

Trio Casals and Carnegie Hall: A Look Into Navona Records’ MOTO Series

Albums

Sonix and other Tonix

Release Date: March 15, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6603
21st Century
Chamber
Flute
Percussion
String Quartet
SONIX AND OTHER TONIX is a collection of innovative chamber works from composer Jan Järvlepp. The title refers to his piece Sonix for Ónix, composed for the Ónix Ensamble of Mexico. It combines elements from his most popular chamber and orchestral works, Pierrot Solaire and Garbage Concerto, respectively. The album also features Trio No. 3, a three-movement work for violin, cello, and piano which protests the rise of the surveillance state. SONIX AND OTHER TONIX also includes Shinkansen, which takes listeners for a ride on a Japanese bullet train, and In Memoriam, written for the composer’s late brother. Spanning a diverse range of topics and influences, SONIX AND OTHER TONIX exemplifies the iconoclastic creativity for which Järvlepp is known.

Sonix+

Release Date: January 19, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6596
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Flute
Piano Trio
SONIX+, a collection of new works from cellist and composer Jan Järvlepp, is some of his most creative and defiant. The title piece, composed for the Ónix Ensemble of Mexico, draws upon elements from Järvlepp’s renowned works with a hidden theme from the 1960s sprinkled within. Trio No. 3 incorporates a very different concept from 1960s culture: protest music. The piece cries out against the constant surveillance that takes place in modern life, from cameras on every street corner to keyword tracking on search engines. Järvlepp’s music is unrelenting, one-of-a-kind, and inspired — a well balanced blend of time-tested virtuosity spoken through modern themes.

Aria

Release Date: January 5, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6577
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Harp
Piano Trio
Voice
Composer Michael Cohen delivers an enticing follow up to his 2022 Navona Records release with ARIA, his second full album of original chamber works. Featuring a mix of studio and live recordings captured from various points in his diverse and expansive career, Cohen’s music emanates a thorough line of vitality and fervor. While strikingly rooted in tonal principles, these works embrace an elegant, confident, and ebullient character, permeated by a magnificent, effervescent spontaneity throughout.

Transmutation

Release Date: October 27, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6559
21st Century
Chamber
Vocal Music
Orchestra
Piano Trio
Voice
Transmutation: “to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature, especially to a higher form.” Joanna Estelle embodies this definition in her deeply personal and profound compositions on TRANSMUTATION, a communal effort featuring various talented performers coming together to transmute their message to you. With music as vulnerable and exposed as the stories it tells, TRANSMUTATION is a reflection on the patterns of life through periods of both rain and shine, and the constants that keep us grounded through the changes that they bring. Estelle’s message is clear: to allow for change is to allow for healing.
A Grand Journey Vol 2

A Grand Journey Vol. 2

Release Date: August 11, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6550
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
With music echoing themes of persistence in the face of adversity, calls for reflection and attention on acts of injustice, and more, A GRAND JOURNEY VOL. 2 delivers resounding chamber music from a diverse range of contemporary composers. Performed by the critically-acclaimed Trio Casals, this Navona Records release offers a variety of sounds, from traditional classical forms to jazz-infused rhythms, mixed meters, and a deeply-moving piece for solo cello.

Trios & Sonatinas

Release Date: March 24, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6511
21st Century
Chamber
Piano
Piano Trio
Viola
If there is one thing that is important to Richard E Brown, it’s clarity; it would be impossible to listen to any of his compositions without finding one’s emotions immediately and intuitively seized, no explanations necessary. Brown’s music is at once neoclassical and aesthetic, and his selection of TRIOS & SONATINAS makes for a perfect introduction. Aforementioned clarity is also the secret ingredient which allows Brown to breezily and naturally unite polar opposites: the Western classical piano trio with Korean folk themes, the simple sonatina form with musical complexity, and the frail violin and resounding horn as equals in another trio. Simplicity is supposedly the ultimate form of sophistication, and TRIOS & SONATINAS makes a strong point indeed.

Figments Vol. 3

Release Date: May 27, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6419
21st Century
Chamber
Oboe
Piano Trio
Violin
On FIGMENTS VOL. 3 from Navona Records, the imaginations of composers Jacob E. Goodman, Gary D. Belshaw, Andrew Lewinter, Thomas Mann Jr, Elliott Miles McKinley, and Eleanor Alberga are brought to life in a dynamic breadth of emotional performances, from soothing to exhilarating and natural to mythical. A dynamic assortment of contemporary chamber music, fantasy and reality collide to bring forth exhilarating stories spanning scenes from Greek Mythology to those of spirited animals and surreal scenic portraits. Universal melodies and rhythms find their form, short sketches evoke seasonal qualities, and fantasies float into reality in this collection.

Moto Finale

Release Date: December 10, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6388
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
MOTO FINALE brings the beloved chamber music series to a close with a number of works inspired by nature, loss, spiritual connection, and music of the past. The seasoned Trio Casals returns for this seventh and final installment to perform the works of seven composers in a diverse and conclusive capstone of modern composition. A fitting album to end the series, MOTO FINALE rewards the attention of listeners as it leads them on a journey of interweaving experiences. Trauma and chaos mingle with tranquility, nostalgia, melancholy, and hope, painting a broad emotional landscape.

A Grand Journey

Release Date: September 10, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6367
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Piano
Piano Trio
Inspired by traditional melodies and cultural flavors, A GRAND JOURNEY gives us contemporary chamber works by Richard E Brown, Ovidiu Marinescu, and Mark G. Simon. Performed by internationally acclaimed Trio Casals, these distinct works immerse listeners in varying motifs drawn from diverse cultures, simulating a journey of melodic Korean folk patterns, Greek mythological icons, Irish fiddling, tango, and sensations garnered from the Black Sea and English countryside.

Moto Eterno

Release Date: March 26, 2021
Catalog Number: NV6341
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
Ten international composers showcase their respective styles on MOTO ETERNO, the latest installment of NAVONA's successful MOTO chamber music series. Like the previous MOTO releases, MOTO ETERNO is the result of a wide-ranging Call For Scores and a scrupulous selection process. Acclaimed piano trio Trio Casals (Ovidiu Marinescu, cello; Alexandr Kislitsyn, violin; Anna Kislitsyna, piano), masterfully perform their favorite picks.

Moto Celeste

Release Date: January 24, 2020
Catalog Number: NV6266
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
In MOTO CELESTE, the fifth installment in Navona Records’ MOTO series, the internationally-acclaimed Trio Casals takes on eight new works by eight preeminent composers. It is an electrifying collection, full of drama and adventure. The compositions borrow from an eclectic array of musical traditions, including rhumba and flamenco music. MOTO CELESTE is forged into a cohesive work by the trio’s sensitive and highly-organic performances.

Moto Quarto

Release Date: July 12, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6237
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
Acclaimed international piano trio Trio Casals makes a triumphant return with the fourth installment of Navona Records' MOTO series, zestfully interpreting nine new American compositions – virtually all of them either tailor-made or arranged for the ensemble. The opening track, Three for Three by David Nisbet Stewart, could almost be considered a neoclassical piano trio – if you're thinking along the lines of Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges. Like his Russian predecessor, Stewart chose to endow his composition with a perspicacious structure, along which the motives and modulations climb like vines on a trellis.

Moto Bello

Release Date: May 11, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6156
21st Century
Chamber
Piano Trio
Navona Records and the acclaimed ensemble Trio Casals proudly present MOTO BELLO, the next chapter in the moving series that brought 2015’s MOTO CONTINUO and MOTO PERPETUO in 2013. Living up to its name, MOTO BELLO, or “beautiful motion,” is a collection celebrating the synergy of Trio Casals and the vibrant works of ten contemporary composers including Diane Jones, Beth Mehocic, David N. Stewart, Sidney Bailin, L Peter Deutsch, Giovanni Piacentini, Adrienne Albert, Clive Muncaster, Joanne D. Carey, and Bruce Babcock.

Moto Continuo

Release Date: July 10, 2015
Catalog Number: NV6003
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Cello
Piano Trio
Praised for his "bold and expressive" playing (Gramophone Magazine), cellist Ovidiu Marinescu and Navona Records present MOTO CONTINUO, a collection of six contemporary solo cello and piano trio works - from the intense, dark, and expressive to the calm, light, and austere - performed by Marinescu and his colleagues from Trio Casals, violinist Sylvia Ahramjian and pianist Anna Kislitsyna.