“The trio allowed silences to stretch and breathe, both drawing out tension and heightening the contrast between their playing and the ambient noise in the hall. Amidst the strange clamor of these pieces, silence became unusually charged.”          – Cleveland Classical

Chartreuse string trio is violinist Myra Hinrichs, violist Carrie Frey, and cellist Helen Newby. Uniquely committed to repeat performances and developing the string trio repertoire through adventurous commissions, Chartreuse has premiered works by dozens of composers and toured extensively in the U.S. Northeast, Midwest, and California, as well as in Norway. Cleveland Classical described the trio in concert as “a maelstrom almost tactile in its grittiness” and “as much fun to watch as to listen to.”

Of equal importance to the trio is educational outreach, where the ensemble works with emerging composers, performers, and communities of listeners to cultivate both love and knowledge of new music. Chartreuse has conducted workshops and masterclasses for composers, seminars on entrepreneurship, demonstrations of active listening techniques, classes on improvisation and notation, and more, at institutions including Brown University, Hillsdale College, SUNY Fredonia, Georgia Southern University, Oberlin Conservatory, Tromsø University, the Norges Musikkhøgskole, middle schools in Philadelphia and Cleveland, the Minnesota Junior Composers’ Workshop, and retirement home Kendal at Oberlin. They recently offered virtual class visits at Depauw University and Valparaiso University for composition and theory students.

Chartreuse is part of the inaugural cohort of the Chamber Music America Ensemble Forward Grant, made possible with generous support from the New York Community Trust.

Photos like the one in the header are by Tanya Rosen Jones.

Press:

Cleveland Classical interview with Mike Telin, 1/2015

I Care If You Listen 5 Questions with Larry and Arlene Dunn, 1/2015

Cleveland Classical review, Mike Telin and Daniel Hautzinger, 1/2015