Orvieto Piano Trio August 12, 2011

FanFaire Foundation Presents the Orvieto Piano Trio in Free Concerts at 4 San Diego Venues August 11-14, 2011

August concerts feature works by Beethoven and Dvorak

A free classical concert for families featuring the Orvieto Piano Trio comes to four San Diego neighborhoods August 11-14. Presented as part of its community outreach and education programs by FanFaire Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to promoting music and science appreciation, the concerts will be held at the following venues: Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad (August 11 at 2 pm), French Parlor - University of San Diego in Linda Vista (August 12 at 7 pm), Turrentine Room - Escondido Public Library on Kalmia St. in downtown Escondido (August 13 at 2 pm), and La Jolla Public Library on Draper Ave. in La Jolla (August 14 at 2 pm).

The concert program features Beethoven’s Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 1, No.3 and Dvorak’s Piano Trio Op. 90 (“Dumky”). Each piece will be introduced with interesting, audience-friendly commentary by the artists. Families are encouraged to bring their children to the concerts, which are open to the public and designed to be a unique learning experience for young and old alike.

The Orvieto Piano Trio was formed in 2009 during a chamber music festival, Orvieto Musica, in the Italian town of the same name where the members first bonded and discovered they enjoyed sharing musical ideas and making music together. The ensemble is unique in that its members not only come from different parts of the US but are currently pursuing divergent career paths - a testament to the power of music to communicate and transcend personal differences.

The trio is led by San Diego's own Dr. Byron Chow at the piano. Dr. Chow is an exemplar of the left-brain/right-brain creativity that FanFaire Foundation seeks to nurture among today's youth. A young medical doctor with degrees in molecular biology from Yale and an MD from New York University, he is currently a pediatrician with Escondido’s Neighborhood Healthcare community clinic and is an active concert pianist, violist and composer as well.

Violinist Lauren Basney and cellist Daniel Frankhuizen complete the Trio. Basney, an accomplished violinist with degrees in music from Juilliard and Yale, made her New York solo debut at Carnegie's Weill Hall in 2004 and has since performed at prestigious venues in Europe and the US, including Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall. She is also a founding member of the Alianza String Quartet which has performed at festivals in Europe and the US following the group's acclaimed debut at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 2007.

Frankhuizen received his BA in Music this year from Ithaca College where he was a member of both the Ithaca College Symphony and Chamber Orchestra. His performance experience with the Symphony has included concerts at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Barton Hall. His interests extend beyond classical music into reggae and world music. His cello playing can be heard on "Amplify," the latest album by the reggae band John Brown's Body which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Reggae Chart. and his own world music group "Beat the Grid" has been hailed as “an indefinable sonic sensation” by Cake Magazine.

The concerts in Carlsbad and Escondido are presented in partnership with the Museum of Making Music and the Escondido Public Library, respectively, with the latter receiving generous support from the Friends of the Escondido Public Library.