String Trios Galore

The Power of Three

Artists
Zenas Hsu, violin
Cara Pogossian, viola
Ronald Lowry, cello

Three accomplished musicians perform three string trio masterpieces, including the powerful and energetic Beethoven C-minor trio, the playful and lighthearted Françaix C-major trio, and the sublimely elegant Mozart E-flat divertimento–a program that showcases the brilliance and versatility of the string trio.

Program

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Trio in C minor, Op. 9, No. 3
Jean Françaix, String Trio in C major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Divertimento in E-flat major, K. 563

About the Artists

Zenas Hsu, violin, received early instruction at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and earned the Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and Master of Music and Graduate Diploma degrees from New England Conservatory. He is a founding member of Chamber Music by the Bay, a California-based interactive music series. In Boston, Mr. Hsu is a member of the Grammy-nominated orchestra A Far Cry, and he serves as concertmaster of Phoenix, a Boston orchestra that focuses on approachable concert experiences. He is a frequent guest artist of Bard Music West and the Wellesley Chamber Players and guest concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Violist Cara Pogossian has participated in summer festivals, including the Marlboro Festival and at Ravinia Steans Music Institute and Taos School of Music. In 2022 she won the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, and her quartet received honors at New England Conservatory. Ms. Pogossian is principal violist of the Portland Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as a guest artist with the Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Boston Pops Orchestra. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory. Currently she is a graduate student of Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory.

Needham Concert Society artistic director Ronald Lowry—praised in the Boston Globe for “superb” musicianship—is principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra. He performs frequently with the Boston Symphony, both at home and on international tours. He has presented solo recitals at Jordan Hall and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and he has been a guest artist with the Boston Chamber Music Society, the New England Conservatory First Mondays concert series, and the Muir String Quartet. Mr. Lowry teaches at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and the Rivers School Conservatory.