December 4, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Alys Stephens Center presents The Peabody Trio at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Alys Stephens Center, 1200 10th Ave. S., Birmingham. Tickets are $35; students $20. This show is part of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series. Call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org for more information. Sponsors are Burr & Forman, Lia and Rusty Rushton, WBHM, The Birmingham News, UAB and Viva Health.

Since winning the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 1989, The Peabody Trio has established itself in the chamber music world as vivid interpreters of the classics of the repertoire, advocates for new music and dedicated teachers and mentors to a generation of young musicians. The Peabody Trio are Violaine Melançon, violin; Natasha Brofsky, cello; and Seth Knopp, piano. The Peabody Trio currently serves as the resident faculty ensemble of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, a position they have held since 1989. 

Appearing on NPR's "Performance Today" and "Saint Paul Sunday" and performing at Tanglewood and Alice Tully Hall, The Peabody Trio has performed in the most important chamber music series in North America, including New York, Washington, Chicago, Vancouver, Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Internationally, they tour frequently in England, Japan and Israel. Their reputation as champions of new music garnered them an invitation to the first Biennale for contemporary music, Tempus Fugit, in Tel Aviv.

For this performance, composer Harold Meltzer, recipient of the 2004 Samuel Barber Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, will narrate his chamber work, "Sindbad." Also on the program is Trio "The Kreutzer Sonata" by Leos Janácek and Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, "Archduke" by Beethoven.