Trio Con Anima |
Born out of a rekindled friendship that spans two continents, Trio con Anima has been developing a unique approach to its programming philosophy. Their choices are based on a combination of interests in new music, cultural diversity, and the bridging of differences. Trio members have a long history of both solo and collaborative work that allows them to bring forth a wide variety of approaches to the classical and contemporary repertoire.
Since her public debut at eight, Romanian pianist Ana Sorina Popa has performed on both the North American and European continents as a recitalist, chamber music collaborator, and orchestra soloist. Dr. Popa is a prizewinner of several international piano competitions and has recorded live on the Romanian National Radio and Television stations as well as local TV stations in Massachusetts. She has established and directed for 11 years the Sunday at Three concert series hosted by First Parish Church in Dorchester, MA, where she is the Music Director. Dr. Popa is a member of the Piano and Chamber Music Departments at The Rivers School Conservatory in Weston, MA where she serves as chair of the Music Theory Department. In addition, Dr. Popa is the Faculty Fellow for Music at Stonehill College, Easton, MA. She holds a doctorate in piano performance from Boston University. Swedish violinist Marie Louise Sjöberg has studied at the Vestjysk Conservatory of Music Denmark and the Musikhochschule, Vienna, Austria. She has been a member of the Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra until 1995, the String Quartet in Tromsö, Norway, as well as the Nordnorsk Kammarorkester (until 2000). She is an active freelancer with various orchestras in Sweden such as The Philharmonic in Stockholm, The Radio Symphonic Orchestra in Stockholm, and The Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestra with whom she toured many times. In 2014 she became a founding member of the string quartet EricsBergskvartetten. Their tour in Italy in May 2016 was a resounding success. For more information, www.ericsbergskvartetten.n.nu. Austrian cellist Susanne Friedrich completed her Master’s degree at the Vienna Conservatory, studying with Victor Görlich and Josef Luitz. While already a freelance cellist and teacher at the Vienna Conservatory Preparatory School (Musikschulen der Stadt Wien) she spent a year studying baroque cello at the Innsbruck Conservatory with Max Engel. Her studies brought her into the historical performance world and established the contact with Paul Angerer’s group Concilium Musicum with whom she performed as their only cellist for many years, touring all of Austria and Europe as well as Southeast Asia. During her years in Vienna, she played regularly with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Wiener Kammeroper (Vienna Chamber Opera) where she also contracted the orchestra. Ms. Friedrich taught as Josef Luitz’s assistant at the International Chamber Music Festival Allegro Vivo for nine years, as well as being on the faculty of the Payerbacher Meisterkurse, directed by Eva Salmutter. Currently, Susanne teaches cello and chamber music at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Boston, MA; at the Rivers School Conservatory, Weston, MA; and Dana Hall School of Music, Wellesley MA, as well as in her private studio. She is the author of a DVD on how to learn vibrato, titled “Vibrato for Cellists.” |