REVIEWS

“… daring, lively, and completely engrossing.” —Seattle Times

“... exuded a real sense of command...” —The New York Times

”… careful attention to balance, tonal beauty, and teamwork ...” —Strad Magazine

“… unrelenting passion.” —The Birmingham News

“... the grace and intensity of the singing lines, the emotional intensity and truth of all the playing (yet without any breach of decorum or style) ...” —San Diego Reader

“… big, bold, direct and unself-conscious.” —Washington Post

“... played with authority and conviction ... remarkable ...” —Strings Magazine

“… passion, sweep, and energy.” —Ann Arbor News

"SAN JOSE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY brought its 2011-2012 season to a glorious conclusion Friday, May 4, with the appearance of the Amelia Piano Trio . . . Crisp attacks and canny articulation characterized every measure of the Amelia’s performance, a sense of balanced ensemble in which we could plainly hear the sheer enjoyment each member’s contribution brings to the others . . . We noted, quite soon, the voluptuous quality of Mr. Duckles’ cello . . . Ms. Kreston’s violin, too, could soar most eloquently . . . The Finale: Presto enjoyed thoroughly plastic rhythms and an unbuttoned humor quite in keeping with Beethoven’s natural irreverence and confidence. —classicalmusicguide.com

"With the disbanding of the long-standing, pioneering Beaux Arts Piano Trio in 2008, it was heartening to hear a wonderful ensemble to be added to the roster of the well-established Eroica Trio and Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio . . .

Violinist Kreston said she followed up reports of Chopin’s alluding to replacing the violin part with a viola . . . Chopin wrote that he should have written the violin part for viola 'as the first string predominates in the violin and in my trio is used hardly at all. The viola would, I think, accord better with the cello.' Before Kreston joined the Amelia Trio, she played viola in a string quartet. Her ease with the viola has led her to take up Chopin’s suggestion. She speculated that the awkward scoring for the violin was responsible for the relative neglect of Op. 8. Another feature of her adaptation is the increased virtuosity of the part, using the viola’s higher strings . . . The Amelia Trio’s performance was a revelation." —Cultural Voice of North Carolina

““... the grace and intensity of the singing lines, the emotional intensity and truth of all the playing (yet without any breach of decorum or style) ...””

— San Diego Reader

BIOGRAPHY

Founding Members Violinist Anthea Kreston & Cellist Jason Duckles Now Joined by Pianist Ilya Yakushev

The Amelia Piano Trio, for many years one of the most sought-after piano trios in the world, has announced it will be returning to the concert stage. After a ten-year hiatus, violinist Anthea Kreston and cellist Jason Duckles have invited celebrated pianist Ilya Yakushev to join them in embarking on this new chapter. It is remarkable that an ensemble, once disbanded, has chosen to perform together again.

Mentored by Isaac Stern, who presented the ensemble’s Carnegie Hall début in Stern Hall, the Amelia Piano Trio was also coached by the Emerson Quartet. They went on to perform on many prestigious concert series and festivals in the United States, including Carnegie’s Weill Hall, the 92nd Street Y and Miller Theater (NYC); the Library of Congress and Dumbarton Concerts (Washington, D.C.); the Curtis Institute's Alumni Series; the Ravinia and La Jolla Music Festivals; and Caramoor, which commissioned a new work for them by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Harbison. The trio also appeared at prestigious concert halls in Canada, Germany, Belgium, and the UK, as well as in Panama and the French West Indies.

Early on in their career, the Amelia Piano Trio won both the Grand Prize in the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition and the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Yo-Yo Ma invited them to perform at Tanglewood with his Silk Road Project; founding members Ms. Kreston and Dr. Duckles continued to tour with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, from Las Vegas to as far afield as Kazakhstan.

The ensemble received numerous critical notices. The New York Times declared: “[the Amelia Piano Trio] exuded a real sense of command.” Their performances were called “big, bold, direct and unselfconscious” by the Washington Post and “daring, lively, and completely engrossing” by the Seattle Times. The San Diego Reader wrote, "you just don't hear better chamber music playing than this."

When violinist Anthea Kreston was invited in 2016 to join Germany’s renowned Artemis Quartet, the Amelia Piano Trio elected to take a hiatus, enabling her to become the only American violinist to hold a full-time position with a major European quartet.

Now, a decade later, Ms. Kreston and Dr. Duckles have decided to mark that milestone by bringing the trio back to the concert stage and inviting pianist Ilya Yakushev to join them.