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Trio Audace Wins Chamber Music Competition

Latest SFCM News

April 29, 2016 by Alexandra Gilliam

A piano trio comprised of SFCM students Da Huang (violin), Edward Luengo (cello), and Ning Zhou (piano), received first prize at the 2016 Coltman Chamber Music Competition at Concordia University in Austin, Texas.

Named after Austin Chamber Music Center (ACMC) founder Felicity Coltman, the Coltman Chamber Music Competition began in 2010 as a regional competition and has expanded nationwide.

The trio, coached by Jennifer Culp, chose its name for the meaning of the French word audace—bold, daring, and spirited. Since forming in October 2015, Trio Audace has taken on many works, with eras and styles ranging from Mozart to Shostakovich and Ducros. Trio Audace's mission is to illustrate their relationship with their work for audience at a personal level of interpretation. They won the competition for their performance of movements from Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 and Beethoven's Piano Trio No. 1. The trio won $2,000, the opportunity to perform during the ACMC Summer Festival or a seasonal concert, and they will be featured on a KMFA radio broadcast, Austin's local classical music station.

According to cellist Edward Luengo, "The competition was divided into two divisions: Junior and Collegiate. Our division, the Collegiate division, consisted of seven ensembles from schools including Northwestern University and Eastman School of Music. We met most of the groups during the two days we spent at the Concordia University campus; such wonderful people and musicians!  Our win was quite a shock to us as soon as the result was announced! We had no idea what to expect before arriving. We have only been working together since October from the previous term and we are delighted to have received an award in our first year."