The Telluride MusicFest, founded by violinist Maria Bachmann and Trio Solisti, returns to town, June 8-17, with its fifth anniversary festival, “Greatest Masterworks.”

Performances feature Trio Solisti members (Maria Bachmann, violin; Alexis Pia Gerlach, cell; Jon Klibonoff, piano), as well as clarinetist David Krakauer, violist  Kathryn Lockwood (of the Lark Quartet) and violinist Toby Appel. 

Comprised of three brilliant instrumentalists – violinist Maria Bachmann, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, and pianist  Jon Klibonoff – the Trio Solisti has earned a national reputation for its passionate, committed, and adventurous performances marked by exquisite individuality of expression and seamless ensemble playing. These qualities have drawn praise from publications that range from The New York Times (“…consistently brilliant…dangerous and radical…compelling.”) and The Washington Post (“…zealous abandon…a transcendent performance.”) 

The Trio’s mastery across a wide spectrum of styles – both classic and contemporary – has garnered superlatives not often encountered in the piano trio genre.  As the Palm Beach Daily News recently observed, “The music of Haydn, Brahms and Ravel might seem an odd musical combination but Trio Solisti…found in this diversity of styles a cause for celebration.  Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this performance was that the trio seemed equally at home with all three styles.” 

Trio Solisti has made critically acclaimed debuts in New York City on Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series and at Town Hall’s Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts in 

Vienna, Virginia, and at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy. The Trio has two debut recordings to its credit, both released in 2005, as well – an all-Brahms CD for Marquis Classics, and a CD of music by Paul Moravec for Arabesque, the second featuring the world premiere recording of Moravec’s 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning work composed for Trio Solisti, Tempest Fantasy, with guest clarinetist David Krakauer. 

A documentary video Trio Solisti Explores Beethoven was released by Videos for Arts and Humanities (www.films.com) in 2003.  Directed by Academy Award-nominee Josh Aronson, the documentary traces Trio Solisti’s interpretive decision making in rehearsals and performances of Beethoven’s “Ghost” and “Archduke” trios.

For 2006-07, Trio Solisti’s engagements have included performances in New York's Merkin Hall and Symphony Space, and in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Portland (OR) and tours of Canada, the West Coast and Southern U.S.  The season will also feature debut performances by the Trio at the Caramoor and Moab Festivals.

Trio Solisti has appeared on the nationally broadcast radio show “St. Paul Sunday” and has been featured on NPR’s “Performance Today” in numerous live performances from around the U.S.  They have been presented in multi-concert series by New York’s

famed Morgan Library and the St. Louis Museum of Art.  2006-07 marks the Trio Solisti’s fifth year in residence at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.

Trio Solisti is the founding ensemble of Telluride MusicFest. For more information please visit www.triosolisti.com. Concerts are scheduled for June 8, 10, 15 and 17.  Single-concert tix $35; four-pack, $200; night three is free. Call 212-253-6941 (970/728-6061 after June 5) for information. All concerts take place at 7:30 p.m.