Trio will play works for viola, clarinet and piano

FARMINGTON — On Saturday, Feb. 20, the Nordica Trio will give a concert featuring compositions for viola, clarinet and piano. The musicial pieces are by Mozart; English classical composer and violist Rebecca Clarke; and German Romantic composer Max Bruch.

Members of the ensemble, all Maine educators, are Graybert Beacham, violin and viola; Karen Beacham, clarinet; and Martin Perry, piano.

The concert in Nordica Auditorium at the University of Maine at Farmington will include Mozart's "Kegelstatt Trio;" and Perry and Beacham will perform Clarke's Sonata for Viola and Piano. In addition, Perry will play the orchestral reduction for Bruch's Concerto for Clarinet and Viola.

Since its debut in 1994, the trio has performed numerous concerts for students across the state, and recordings of live performances have been broadcast on "Maine Stage" by Maine Public Radio. The musicians recorded "Divertimento" (for violin, cello and piano), by Maine composer Peter Ré, for Albany Records.

The trio takes its name from American opera singer Lillian Nordica. Born Lillian Norton in Farmington, she made her operatic debut in Brescia, Italy, in 1879, and sang in all the principal capitals of Europe and America. The recital hall at UMF, named Nordica Auditorium in her honor, is where trio members first met to rehearse and discuss the idea of forming a chamber music ensemble.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and free for children under age 16. For more information, call 778-4572.

Members of the Nordica Trio, from left, are Graybert Beacham, Karen Beacham and Martin Perry.