The Concord Trio

Andrew Jennings, violin; Norman Fischer, cello; Jeanne Kierman, piano

When does a musical group announce its first season and celebrate nearly twenty years of making music together at the same time? The answer to that apparent conundrum was the announcement in 1993 by the Concord Trio of their first "official" season. The Trio, violinist Andrew Jennings, cellist Norman Fischer and pianist Jeanne Kierman has been playing concerts together since 1971, performing regularly throughout the United States.

Andrew Jennings and Norman Fischer were founding members of the Concord String Quartet, an ensemble which left an indelible mark on the American music scene during its sixteen years of existence. Through nearly 1500 concert appearances, more than two dozen recordings and scores of commissions of new works from the leading composers of our time, the Quartet established a tradition of excellence and artistic integrity which the Concord Trio continues.

Norman Fischer and Jeanne Kierman play together also as the Fischer Duo and have made several recordings including a much-acclaimed recording of French masterworks for the Northeastern label as well as concert appearances in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston, Minneapolis, Houston and many other cities.

Andrew Jennings teaches on the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; Jeanne Kierman and Norman Fischer are both on the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. In the summers, the trio unites to rehearse for their next season's concerts in Lenox, Massachussetts; in addition, each of them is associated with the Tanglewood Music Center, Greenwood Music Camp and Musicorda.

Audiences for the Trio's concerts over the past two decades have commented on the freshness of the approach and the depth of their interpretations. With a special affinity for the works of the twentieth-Century the trio has been performing a new work by George Rochberg, "Summer 1990". Rochberg, long associated with the members of the Concord Trio and one of the most important voices in music today, wrote the new piece in response to a visit to the former Soviet Union in the days preceding the fall of Communism, and its fierce romanticism have made a strong impact on audiences across the country.


The Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union said about a recent Concord Trio concert: "The lengthy musical association of the trio paid off handsomely in terms of tight ensemble. There were no loose ends. Matters musical were carefully planned and skillfully executed...the three players were a marvel to watch as they negotiated Mozart's sometimes grand demands.. and the Concord gave the "Dumky" its virtuosic all."

 

The Concord Trio embodies the greatest qualities of the chamber music ideal; great friends and musical colleagues for 26 years making music together. Each has established a vital career as instrumental virtuoso and chamber music partner. Fischer and Jennings were the founding members of the great Concord String Quartet (in residence at Dartmouth College for 13 years) and Fischer and Kierman have made a long-standing career as the Fischer Duo (recently serving as US Artistic Ambassadors on a tour of South America). Although they reside in Houston and Ann Arbor during the year they come together during the summers at the Tanglewood Music Center to teach and perform.

return to homepage