We welcome Trio Callas, one of the most promising young chamber music ensembles, for a concert at the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington DC on their first tour through North and South America. With the program “Ives & Schönberg 150 Years”, the three award-winning students from the Mozarteum University Salzburg will celebrate the 150th anniversaries of two visionary composers who reshaped the landscape of 20th-century classical music without ever meeting each other: the American Charles Ives and the Austrian Arnold Schönberg.
Trio Callas is an ensemble based in Austria with members from Portugal, Japan-Brazil and France-Austria. In less than a year since its formation in 2021, the trio has been awarded the ProQuartet Prize at the FNAPEC competition in Paris, and was admitted to a master class with cellist Mischa Maisky at the Fondazione Stauffer in Cremona. Currently, the trio is under the guidance of Cibrán Sierra Vázquez (Cuarteto Quiroga) at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and supported by the “Yehudi Menuhin – Live Music Now” Foundation.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Lucas Garcia Muramoto (Brazil/Japan) | Cello
Lucas is the recipient of the Eleazar de Carvalho Prize by the São Paulo State Government for his achievements as one of the most outstanding young musicians from Brazil. He marked his European soloist debut playing the Haydn C Major Concerto during the Tour of the Japan Youth Orchestra, in halls such as the Musikverein in Vienna and the Danube Palace in Budapest. He has performed in festivals including the Rheingau Musik Festival, Trame Sonore in Mantova, Mozartwoche in Salzburg, Festival Academy Budapest, Ljubljana Festival, Ilumina in São Paulo, China Shanghai Arts Festival and Musicus Fest in Hong Kong. Born in São Paulo, Lucas moved to Tokyo with his family at a young age, where he received his first cello lessons. Upon returning to Brazil, he pursued his studies at the Academy of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Currently under the guidance of Enrico Bronzi in Salzburg and Antonio Meneses in Cremona, he has worked with cellists such as Frans Helmerson, Jens Peter Maintz, Jérôme Pernoo, Julian Steckel, Miklós Perényi, Mischa Maisky, Pieter Wispelwey, Sol Gabetta and Steven Isserlis.
Bella Schütz (France/Austria) | Piano
Laureate of international competitions such as the Lyon International Competition, Piano Campus, Jeunes Talents en Normandie and Feurich (Vienna), Bella is a member of the Académie Musicale Jaroussky in the 2023-24 season. Having already worked with conductors such as Daniele Gatti, Jean-Luc Tingaud and José Luis Castillo, she is invited to festivals such as Nohant Festival Chopin, Festival de l’Epau, Festival Baroque de Pontoise, Chigiana International Festival and Festival d’Auvers-sur-Oise on a regular basis. Born in Paris, Bella is currently concluding her master’s degree under the guidance of Björn Lehmann in Berlin and Jan Jiracek von Arnim in Vienna. She has taken part in masterclasses with soloists and teachers such as Tatiana Zelikman, Lilya Zilberstein, Jacques Rouvier, Matti Raekallio and Michel Béroff, and is currently supported by the Fondation Safran.
Miguel Rocha (Portugal) | Violin
Miguel is a prizewinner of international competitions such as the Concorso Ruggiero Ricci, Concurso Nacional Vasco Barbosa, Convimus International Violin Competition, Prémio Ilda Moura, Guimarães International Violin Competition and Cidade do Fundão International Competition. He served as concertmaster for the orchestras JOF - Jovem Orquestra de Famalicão, Orquestra Sinfónica APROARTE and Orquestra Sinfónica ARTAVE, and worked with conductors such as Peter Askim, Emílio de César, David Brichez-Lalli, Benoît Fromanger, Radu Postavaru, Maxim Tortelier and José Eduardo Gomes. Born in Braga, Miguel was first trained in Portugal by Raquel Costa in Famalicão and Radu Ungureanu in Porto, and is currently under the guidance of Esther Hoppe and Robin Wilson in Salzburg. He also receives advice from artists such as Maxim Vengerov, Chlöe Hanslip, Ani Schnarch, Miguel da Silva, Andrei Mijlin, and Yuri Zhislin.
Images © Amélie Meißner