Boulanger Trio

The Boulanger Trio takes its name from the sisters Nadia and Lili Boulanger while striving to evoke both the compositions and the stimulating milieu that Nadia Boulanger nurtured as an educator who helped dismantle gender obstacles in classical music. In the same spirit, the ensemble's performers have championed new works with equal conviction.

Formed in Hamburg during 2006, the group maintains bases in that city and in Berlin. Its personnel—violinist Birgit Erz, cellist Ilona Kindt, and pianist Karla Haltenwanger—has never changed. A 2009 appearance in Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Op. 56, with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra opened the way to further orchestral engagements across Germany and Switzerland, together with chamber programs at such leading halls as the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Musikverein in Vienna, and Wigmore Hall in London. Festival appearances have included the Max Reger Days in Weiden and numerous other events throughout Germany and abroad. Repertory typically juxtaposes French scores associated with the Boulanger circle, Classical and Romantic chamber works, and contemporary pieces by composers such as Friedrich Cerha, Beat Furrer, and Wolfgang Rihm, who wrote in a letter reproduced on the trio's website that "to be interpreted like this is probably a dream come true for every composer."

Particularly distinctive is the Boulangerie concert series, modeled on the weekly Wednesday gatherings Nadia Boulanger hosted in her Paris apartment and affectionately labeled the Boulangerie ("Bakery") by her students. Following that precedent, these programs frequently present music by a living composer who attends and discusses the works with the audience.

The ensemble's recording career began with a 2009 Ars Produktion album containing trios by Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Wolfgang Rihm. In 2012 the group moved to Profil, issuing a series of discs that ranged from Beethoven to the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. Four further albums appeared on CAvi-Music between 2016 and 2018, after which Berlin Classics released Teach Me!: The Students of Nadia Boulanger in 2021, featuring music by Astor Piazzolla and others.