Troy Arts Council Presents: The Merling Trio

January 24, 2013

The three esteemed musicians that make up the Merling Trio will be making their way to Troy University to perform classical pieces on piano, violin and cello.

The Troy Arts Council will be hosting the Merling Trio on Monday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. New compositions by the San Franciscan composer Peter Lewis will be featured.

The name Merling Trio is derived from the Danish violin maker Paul Merling.

The trio consists of three musicians: Renata Artman Knific, the violinist; Bruce Uchimura, the cellist; and Susan Wiersma Uchimura, pianist. They sport Dutch, Japanese and Polish backgrounds.

Uchimura and Knific’s instruments are both over 100 years old, dating back to the late 1800s.

Each musician is a music educator at Western Michigan University. Periodically, during their concert series, they teach master classes around the country.

Troy is just one of the stops on their 2013 tour, which includes appearances in Florida and New York. They also have a worldwide presence and have performances in Europe and Canada.

Critics have given positive reviews to their performances. “The Merling Trio possesses tremendous talent, ingratiating tone quality, and unlimited technique,” said Richard H. Zoller from the Sierra Vista Herald.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, “The three Merling musicians played with a sound that’s attractive and substantive” and that it “left a lasting impression.”

Students are encouraged to attend the performance to see, as Flint on the Town says, “how exciting chamber music can be.”