Selected by St. John’s Smith Square as Young Artists 2016/17, the Minerva Piano Trio will present an innovative series of concerts – joining forces with a new generation of composers and collaborating with different art forms, including dance. As part of their ongoing project, the Trio will perform their revival of Brahms’s radically different original version of his first trio. Each concert explores the Trio’s passions for new music, historical research, and creative collaborations.

Following their London debut at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room in 2014 as Park Lane Group Young Artists, the Minerva Piano Trio have established themselves as one of the UK’s most exciting young trios. Their performances have been described as ‘the most beautiful sounds’ (The Times) and ‘splendid renditions’ (Classical Source). They have worked closely with leading British composers including Mark-Anthony Turnage and Roxanna Panufnik. Recent highlights include the premiere of a work written by the Minerva Trio’s cellist and composer Richard Birchall. The Trio have received coaching from Gordon Back, members of the former Florestan Trio, and Gabor Takacs-Nagy. They are grateful for the support of ChamberStudio, Richard Carne Trust, and Concordia Foundation. 

Violinist Michal Cwizewicz directs the Ognisko Chamber Ensemble and is the concertmaster of the Górecki Chamber Orchestra. He studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky, Krzysztof Smietana and members of the Ysaÿe and Alban Berg Quartets. He has been teaching at the Royal College of Music since 2012. Cellist Richard Birchall read Music at Cambridge University before studying at the Guildhall School of Music under Louise Hopkins. He has been a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra since 2011. He also directs Cellophony cello octet and works as a composer and arranger. Pianist Annie Yim completed her doctorate in performance and musicology at the Guildhall School of Music with Joan Havill and City University London with Christopher Wiley. She is founder of MusicArt London, a performing arts initiative established in the UK.

www.minervapianotrio.com