Camerata Nordica
Sunday, October 4 at 7:00pm
Sunday, September 20 at 2:00pm
Baldwin Auditorium
Presented by Duke Arts Presents
Chamber Arts Series
“[The artists] turned what might have been just an entertaining evening into a must-hear musical event.”
THE WASHINGTON POST
Experience the “probing, fiercely intelligent playing” (The Washington Post) of the Salix Piano Trio. Named for the “graceful and poetic weeping willow,” the ensemble explores the chemistry between the violin, cello, and piano.
Sample a range of musical wonders when the Salixes elicit 18th-century elegance in Mozart’s Piano Trio No. 5 and the smoky, Romantic turbulence of Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 1. Composer Frank Bridge adds a cafe sound to traditional dances, while Jennifer Higdon conjures lithe Impressionism in her trio movement “Pale Yellow.” The centerpiece of the evening comes from the 16-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich, whose plucky trio runs between lyrical beauty and impudence.
The piano trio began as a house band, once gathered around the family harpsichord. Four hundred years on, this close-knit combination, now anchored by the piano, continues to captivate both players and audiences.
Mozart: Piano Trio No. 5 in C Major, op. 15, no. 3, K. 548
Frank Bridge: Selections from Miniatures for Piano Trio
I. Gavotte
II. Vasle Russe
III. Saltarello
Shostakovich: Piano Trio in C minor, Op. 8
Jennifer Higdon:“Pale Yellow” from Piano Trio (b. 1962)
Brahms: Piano Trio in B major, Op. 8
*Program is subject to change
The Salix Piano Trio was founded in New York City in 2023 by longtime friends and colleagues out of a desire to explore the rich and vast piano trio canon. For the past 20+ years, they have performed and toured together around the United States as members of the American Chamber Players. Their extraordinary, dynamic performances have been enthusiastically praised by critics and audiences alike. The name Salix comes from the group’s mutual love for the graceful and poetic weeping willow tree (salix babylonica).
Since their founding, the Salix Piano Trio has performed on the Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York series as well as on their Opening Gala at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall among other venues. Their 2025-2026 season performances include Wooster Chamber Music Series, Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music, West Side Concert Series, New Marlborough Meeting House, Bulgarian Concert Evenings in New York and The Saint Andrew Music Society. Highlights of the 2026-27 season include a return to Sanibel Music Festival, and appearances at Gettysburg Community Concert Association and The University Club in New York City.
Baldwin Auditorium
1336 Campus Drive
Durham, NC 27705
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