In 1982, two winners of the ultra-distinguished Naumburg Award took the stage with a cellist from the New Hungarian Quartet to perform an inspired program of chamber music. The performance was so exceptional, and the three shared such great musical chemistry, that they decided to play together on a more regular basis. Dubbing themselves The Oberlin Trio after the conservatory where they taught, they took the show on the road.
Pianist Joseph Schwartz, violinist Stephen Clapp and then-cellist Andor Toth, Jr. toured for almost two decades, captivating audiences with a traditional repertoire in addition to more unusual and lesser-known works by contemporary composers. After Toth passed away in 2002, the two remaining Oberliners went on hiatus. The call of the music was too great, however, and the group re-formed in 2004 with cello virtuoso Darrett Adkins.
The trio stops in Tarpon Springs this weekend to perform a program of masterpieces that include Claude Debussy's Piano Trio in G minor, Johann Brahms' Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Opus 101, and Maurice Ravel's Piano Trio.
The Oberlin Trio, 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 22. $16 general admission/$14 members and students. Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, 324 Pine St., Tarpon Springs, 727-942-5605.
