Biography
The Black Oak Ensemble has earned recognition as a prominent American chamber ensemble through inventive recordings and a dedication to contemporary repertoire. Several new works have been commissioned by the group, which has also partnered with a range of progressive musicians.
The ensemble came together in 2015 with violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli as its members. Each pursues separate projects: Ruhstrat and Cunliffe perform with the Lincoln Quartet, while Pederzoli helped found the Spektral Quartet. The couple Ruhstrat and Cunliffe share a home whose yard features a black oak tree native to Illinois.
A major breakthrough arrived in 2019 with the Cedille Records release Silenced Voices. Partly inspired by the work of Pederzoli’s mother, a tour guide specializing in European Jewish sites connected to the Holocaust, the musicians located and premiered overlooked compositions by promising Jewish composers discovered in bookstores; all but one of those composers perished in the Holocaust.
The album created new opportunities throughout the United States and Europe. The trio has appeared at the Ravinia Festival, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Cultural Center, among other American venues, as well as at Le Festival du film Juif de Paris, the Everlasting Hope festival in Theresienstadt, and L’Alhambra in Vittel, France, during a European tour that included the Netherlands, Greece, France, and the Czech Republic. Performances have featured collaborations with guitarist Mak Grgic, harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, members of the contemporary music group Eighth Blackbird, and flutist Eugenia Molinar.
Contemporary music appears regularly on the ensemble’s programs, and new pieces have been commissioned from Michael Nyman, David Ludwig, and Conrad Tao; previously unknown works by Geza Fríd, Gustave Samazeuilh, and Robert Casadesus have also been revived. Residencies have taken place at several American institutions, including the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, while in France the group launched the Musique Dans Le Gers festival focused on work with young artists. In 2022 the ensemble issued the album Avant l'Orage: French String Trios 1926-1939.
The ensemble came together in 2015 with violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli as its members. Each pursues separate projects: Ruhstrat and Cunliffe perform with the Lincoln Quartet, while Pederzoli helped found the Spektral Quartet. The couple Ruhstrat and Cunliffe share a home whose yard features a black oak tree native to Illinois.
A major breakthrough arrived in 2019 with the Cedille Records release Silenced Voices. Partly inspired by the work of Pederzoli’s mother, a tour guide specializing in European Jewish sites connected to the Holocaust, the musicians located and premiered overlooked compositions by promising Jewish composers discovered in bookstores; all but one of those composers perished in the Holocaust.
The album created new opportunities throughout the United States and Europe. The trio has appeared at the Ravinia Festival, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Chicago Cultural Center, among other American venues, as well as at Le Festival du film Juif de Paris, the Everlasting Hope festival in Theresienstadt, and L’Alhambra in Vittel, France, during a European tour that included the Netherlands, Greece, France, and the Czech Republic. Performances have featured collaborations with guitarist Mak Grgic, harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, members of the contemporary music group Eighth Blackbird, and flutist Eugenia Molinar.
Contemporary music appears regularly on the ensemble’s programs, and new pieces have been commissioned from Michael Nyman, David Ludwig, and Conrad Tao; previously unknown works by Geza Fríd, Gustave Samazeuilh, and Robert Casadesus have also been revived. Residencies have taken place at several American institutions, including the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, while in France the group launched the Musique Dans Le Gers festival focused on work with young artists. In 2022 the ensemble issued the album Avant l'Orage: French String Trios 1926-1939.
Albums
