The Ahn Trio Comes to the Musco Center, Bringing Brilliance and Glam to the Classical Music Stage on Saturday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m.

ORANGE, Calif., September 27, 2016 —  The acclaimed Ahn Trio – three sisters from South Korea who bring both brilliance and glamor to the classical music stage – will make its first appearance at Chapman University’s Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 8.  They are scheduled to perform a program that includes works by pop composers such as David Bowie, Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as pieces by David Balakrishnan, Kenji Bunch and Hyung-ki Joo. Tickets are still available, at $30 to $35, and may be purchased at www.muscocenter.org or by calling 844-OC-MUSCO (844-626-8726).

Born in Seoul, the Juilliard-trained siblings – Angella (violin) and twins Lucia (piano) and Maria (cello) – first gained widespread fame when Time magazine featured them on its cover in 1987 for a story on “Asian Whiz Kids.” Since then, the trio has appeared in many magazines, including Vogue and GQ, and were selected as among People magazine’s Most Beautiful People in 2003.

But it is their music, far more than their looks, which has impressed critics and audiences worldwide. Hailed as “exacting and exciting musicians” by the Los Angeles Times, the Ahn Trio has earned a distinguished reputation for embracing 21st century classical music with its unique style and innovative collaborations.   In 2011, President Obama invited the Ahn Trio to perform at the White House for a State Dinner honoring South Korea.

Such luminary composers as Michael Nyman, Maurice Jarre, Pat Metheny, Paul Schoenfield, Mark O’ Connor, Nikolai Kapustin, and Paul Chihara have written works for them. The trio’s latest CD, “Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac” (released by Sony) is a showcase of their fearless creativity, which made No. 8 on the Billboard charts for 26 weeks in the classical album category.

In two decades of touring, the Trio has performed in all 50 states and in more than 30 countries, and has recorded six albums. The first, a recording of Ravel and Villa-Lobos, trios brought rave reviews, with Audio Magazine praising “this is one of Ravel’s best and never better played”. The next EMI recording of trios by Dvorak, Suk, and Shostakovich, won Germany’s prestigious ECHO Award. An MTV appearance on Bryan Adams’ “Unplugged” inspired the trio to make “Ahn-Plugged” (EMI), and “Groovebox” (EMI) soon followed. The Trio recently formed LAMP (Lucia Angella Maria Productions), producing “Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac”. This album led to a fruitful relationship with Sony. Meanwhile, the sisters made a joint album, “Smetana” (Warner), with the Czech Grammy-winning rock group Tata Bojs.

Maria, Lucia and Angella thrive on dissolving the barriers between art forms. They have fused their work with a range of artists and musical genres, from dancers and lighting designers to DJs. The Trio enjoyed their successful collaboration with the David Parsons Dance Company, touring extensively to critical acclaim. More recently, they performed in the Czech Republic with the Tata Bojs to sold-out shows. The Trio is thrilled to add “March of the Gypsy Fiddler”, a Triple Concerto written for them by Mark O’Connor, to their repertoire. They are also excited to continue to collaborate with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

The Ahns also frequently enjoy having guest artists join them on stage. Recent favorites include the Kin, a two-brother rock band from Australia, as well as electronic music artist Juno a.k.a Superdrive from Berlin. It is precisely this vitality and commitment to innovation that has the Ahn Trio continually drawing new audiences to classical music.

Artists, dates and programs are subject to change.

ABOUT MUSCO CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Since its Grand Opening in March 2016, Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University has taken its place among the nation’s top university arts education and performance venues, offering students and distinguished faculty the opportunity to achieve the highest standard of arts-related education through hands-on, real-world production and performance experience.  At Musco Center, the Chapman campus audience and surrounding community enjoy large-scale opera and theatre productions, touring dance companies, symphonies, chamber performances, jazz concerts, popular music and much more. For more information about Musco Center and its upcoming events, visit www.muscocenter.org.

ABOUT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

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