Biography
Longleash presents itself as "a group with a traditional instrumentation and a progressive identity." The ensemble consists of the standard violin-cello-piano configuration yet deliberately pursues repertoire that expands the timbral range of these instruments. Its explorations have rarely relied on so-called extended techniques. The ensemble takes its name from Operation Long Leash, a Cold War initiative of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency designed to highlight American cultural liberty against Soviet constraint; participating artists enjoyed substantial artistic latitude. That global perspective continues to shape the group’s programming and commissioning, which have drawn composers from Mexico, Italy, Japan, and elsewhere.
Each summer Longleash organizes the Loretto Project festival in Kentucky. The event evolved from a graduate-student concert series initiated by violinist Pala Garcia, who earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New York’s Juilliard School before beginning doctoral work at the City University of New York. All three members maintain active ties to the New York metropolitan region as well as to Louisville and Cincinnati, cities noted for their contemporary-music communities. Cellist John Popham, a Brooklyn-based chamber musician and instructor, has collaborated with composers ranging from Pierre Boulez to Steve Reich; he holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, has performed as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and other ensembles, and appears on the Tzadik and Albany labels. Pianist Renate Rohlfing, originally from Honolulu, captured first prize in the New Orleans International Concerto Competition at age fifteen, later pursued studies at Stony Brook University, and completed a residency at Vienna’s Arnold Schoenberg Institute; she made her Cincinnati May Festival debut in 2013. The trio issued its first recording, Passage, in 2017.
Each summer Longleash organizes the Loretto Project festival in Kentucky. The event evolved from a graduate-student concert series initiated by violinist Pala Garcia, who earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at New York’s Juilliard School before beginning doctoral work at the City University of New York. All three members maintain active ties to the New York metropolitan region as well as to Louisville and Cincinnati, cities noted for their contemporary-music communities. Cellist John Popham, a Brooklyn-based chamber musician and instructor, has collaborated with composers ranging from Pierre Boulez to Steve Reich; he holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, has performed as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and other ensembles, and appears on the Tzadik and Albany labels. Pianist Renate Rohlfing, originally from Honolulu, captured first prize in the New Orleans International Concerto Competition at age fifteen, later pursued studies at Stony Brook University, and completed a residency at Vienna’s Arnold Schoenberg Institute; she made her Cincinnati May Festival debut in 2013. The trio issued its first recording, Passage, in 2017.
Albums
