This performance by Trio Rai took place on Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 3:00 pm.
Program
| Composer | Work | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ludwig van Beethoven | Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat major “Archduke”, Op. 97 | 1811 |
| Intermission | ||
| Antonín Dvořák | Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor “Dumky”, Op. 90 | 1891 |
About the Trio Rai
Trio Rai is a Boston-based piano trio that formed in 2019 at the New England Conservatory. Named after the Japanese kanji for “trust and reliance,” Trio Rai seeks to build meaningful relationships with audience members and the music they perform, while enjoying the process of exploring the great works of the piano trio repertoire.
Trio Rai has studied extensively under the guidance of Miriam Fried, Itzhak Perlman, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein, Areta Zhulla, Ayano Ninomiya, Lucy Chapman, Vivian Weilerstein, and Merry Peckham. In 2021, Trio Rai was awarded a Bronze Medal at the renowned Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. The trio has served as an ensemble in residence at Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, the Perlman Chamber Workshop, and Yale’s Norfolk Music Festival.
About the Artists
Tiffany Chang
Born in Arizona, Tiffany Chang began playing the violin at the age of three. Her teachers have included Miriam Fried, Chun-Yi Lu, Lan Qiu, the late William Magers, and Jing Zeng. Tiffany is a prize winner of various state and national competitions, including the Brevard Concerto Competition, Interlochen Concerto Competition, and the 2017 Dorothy Bates Violin Competition in which she was awarded a Guarnerius violin (1716) and Benoit Rolland bow for a year.
Tiffany has served as concertmaster of the New England Conservatory Philharmonia and Symphony under Maestro Hugh Wolff. An avid chamber musician, Tiffany has performed at chamber festivals across the country such as the Ravinia Steans Institute of Music, Taos School of Music, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Tiffany has performed alongside Miriam Fried, Paul Biss, Nick Cords, and Melissa Reardon, and has been coached by members of the Brentano, Miro, Emerson, and Borromeo quartets.
Tiffany is currently finishing her Master’s degree at the New England Conservatory. She will be pursuing her Doctoral degree at the CUNY Graduate Center this fall. Tiffany plays on a 1768 Testore Violin on generous loan from the Ravinia Steans Institute.
Mari Nagahara
Japanese-American cellist Mari Nagahara has distinguished herself as a promising young talent. Performing extensively around the United States and Europe, some of her notable performances include her New York recital debut with Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi, Verão Classico, and recitals throughout the Netherlands with the Holland International Music Sessions. She is a member of the Studio Academy of L’Orchestre de Paris, and performed on an European tour and numerous concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris during the 2022-23 Season.
An avid chamber musician, Mari has spent summers at the Perlman Music Program, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Taos School of Music, and Kneisel Hall.
Mari is a 2023 graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied with Paul Katz and Natasha Brofsky. She is now pursuing a masters degree at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln under the tutelage of Gabriel Schwabe.
Motti Fang-Bentov
Born in Beijing and raised in Tel-Aviv, pianist Motti Fang-Bentov hails from a multicultural, east-west background. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the NEC Philharmonia, and under the baton of conductors such as Zubin Mehta and Vakhtang Kakhidze. He is the winner of the NEC Concerto & Honors Competition (‘18), the Pnina Zaltsman Piano Competition and the Ashdod Piano Competition.
A passionate chamber musician and collaborator, Motti was formerly the pianist of the Boston-based Eunoia Trio and has attended Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute (‘18, ’19). Motti has previously served in the Israel Defense Forces.
Motti completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston under the guidance of Alexander Korsantia. He is now pursuing an Artist Diploma at NEC under the guidance of Wha-Kyun Byun.