This October, the Waldstein Trio performed at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall in the Manhattan International Music Competition Winners’ Gala Concert. The former Carne Trust Ensemble in Residence was chosen as winner of the First Great Award (CHAMBER MUSIC category) in the eight Manhattan International Music Competition.
Manhattan International Music Competition showcases young classical musicians from around the world. Previous winners have performed at festivals and venues such as Berlin Philharmonie and Konzerthaus, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris Philharmonie, and more. Maestro Ivo Pogorelich presides over the competition in which pianists, singers, strings, wind players, and chamber music ensembles from across the globe participate. The Gala concert featured performances by at least ten international winners, including the Waldstein Trio.
The eight edition of the competition garnered global interest, with the selection panel reviewing a large number of outstanding applications from across the world. The panel agreed that the Waldstein Trio’s performance showcased “remarkable musicality, depth of interpretation, and technical expertise—qualities essential for distinguishing oneself in the competitive world of performance. [Their] talent deeply impressed everyone involved.”
About the Waldstein Trio
The Trio achieved significant early success as the only London College prize winners at the CAVATINA Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition at Wigmore Hall in 2022. Immediately afterwards, they were offered the Carne Trust Junior Fellowship by Trinity Laban.
The following year, the Trio won First Prize at the 4th Vienna International Music Competition, leading to a performance in the Musikverein-Brahms Saal, Vienna; followed by an invitation to take part in the prestigious Evolution Chamber Music Course in the Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity in Canada.
On their return to London, thanks to the generosity of Philip Carne, the Trio was offered a second year of Fellowship and continued to harvest more accomplishments; winning First Prize in the Medici International Music Competition, the Gold Prize and the Special Award for Best Professional Chamber Ensemble in the Amadeus International Music Awards, the Second Prize in the Fanny Mendelssohn International Competition, the Third Prize in the Rising Stars Grand Prix 2023 in Berlin and the First Prize in the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition in Bonn.
The members of the Trio are very keen to perform not only the standard repertoire for piano trio but also to premiere new music: most recently collaborations with three living composers Sem Hak (Netherlands), Valentina Ciardelli (Italy) and Mari Alice Conrad (Canada).
Recent performances include the Brahms Piano Quartets in Malta, the Shostakovich and Mendelssohn Trios in Canada and Cyprus, concerts with cellist Raphael Wallfisch, a cycle of Shostakovich Chamber Works, Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time in London, a masterclass and a concert at Manchester University and a performance in Mozarteum Grosser Saal in Salzburg, Austria.
Future performances of the trio include concerts in Germany and Mexico, as well as performing independently as soloists with orchestras in the UK.