Biography
The Lysander Piano Trio rose quickly among American chamber ensembles throughout the 2010s, propelled by major awards and appearances at leading venues across the United States. Contemporary works and the standard trio repertoire both figure prominently in its programming.
Formed in 2009 at New York’s Juilliard School by students there, the ensemble later joined Juilliard president Joseph Polisi for performances in Mexico. Cellist Michael Katz entered the group in 2010, after which the membership stabilized with violinist Itamar Zorman and pianist Liza Stepanova. Instruction came from Ronald Copes of the Juilliard String Quartet, Joseph Kalichstein of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, and pianist Seymour Lipkin, supplemented by a master class with pianist Alfred Brendel.
Prizes arrived swiftly, among them first place at the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the 2011 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, and the 2011 Arriaga Chamber Music Competition. Engagements have taken the trio to Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Kohl Mansion in San Francisco, and other prominent chamber series, while university appearances have included frequent visits to the Clark Memorial Library at the University of California, Los Angeles. Additional festival work has encompassed the Copenhagen Summer Festival and a tour of Israel presented by the Schubertiade Festival.
New music has remained central through commissions such as Gilad Cohen’s Around the Cauldron, Reinaldo Moya’s Ghostwritten Variations, and Jennifer Higdon’s Love Sweet for soprano and piano trio. The ensemble issued After a Dream in 2014, containing trios by Haydn, Schubert, Ravel, and Joaquín Turina. Two releases followed on the First Hand Records label in 2020: Mirrors and the EP Jakub Ciupinski: The Black Mirror.
Formed in 2009 at New York’s Juilliard School by students there, the ensemble later joined Juilliard president Joseph Polisi for performances in Mexico. Cellist Michael Katz entered the group in 2010, after which the membership stabilized with violinist Itamar Zorman and pianist Liza Stepanova. Instruction came from Ronald Copes of the Juilliard String Quartet, Joseph Kalichstein of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, and pianist Seymour Lipkin, supplemented by a master class with pianist Alfred Brendel.
Prizes arrived swiftly, among them first place at the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the 2011 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, and the 2011 Arriaga Chamber Music Competition. Engagements have taken the trio to Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Kohl Mansion in San Francisco, and other prominent chamber series, while university appearances have included frequent visits to the Clark Memorial Library at the University of California, Los Angeles. Additional festival work has encompassed the Copenhagen Summer Festival and a tour of Israel presented by the Schubertiade Festival.
New music has remained central through commissions such as Gilad Cohen’s Around the Cauldron, Reinaldo Moya’s Ghostwritten Variations, and Jennifer Higdon’s Love Sweet for soprano and piano trio. The ensemble issued After a Dream in 2014, containing trios by Haydn, Schubert, Ravel, and Joaquín Turina. Two releases followed on the First Hand Records label in 2020: Mirrors and the EP Jakub Ciupinski: The Black Mirror.
Albums
