The Szabó Piano Trio - Gabrielle Painter - Benedict Rogerson - Leslie Hollingworth

The Szabó Piano Trio was founded in 2002 and is named after the charismatic Hungarian poet, painter, and concert pianist, Orsolya Szabó. They have performed extensively throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and America.

In addition to producing their highly successful concert series in London and Sussex, they have been Guest Artists at the Shannon International Festival, the Chichester Festival and the International Chamber Music Festival in Keszthely, Hungary. The Szabó Trio are frequently heard on Lyric FM Radio.

'The uniqueness and versatility of the Szabó Trio's playing must lie in the almost tangible empathy which exists between them. This was an exceptional concert by exceptional musicians'

Chichester Observer

Gabrielle Painter has performed throughout Europe, Canada and the United States as soloist, chamber musician and leader. Her concerto performances range from Beethoven to Szymanowski and Lou Harrison and she recently performed the violin solos of Swan Lake and Coppelia at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sadlers Wells and Herodus Atticus (Athens). A passionate chamber musician, Gabrielle has been Guest Artist at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), performed with the internationally renowned Mark Morris Dance Group and in numerous concert series including the London Festival of Chamber Music, Crwth Concert Series(UK), Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (N.Y.), the Miller Theatre (N.Y.) and the Mostly Music Series (Chicago).

Gabrielle is the violinist of the Szabó Piano Trio who toured Hungary and Ireland last summer and recorded for Lyric FM Radio as well as performing in their own concert series in London and Chichester. Dedicated to the performance of music of our time, Gabrielle was a founding member of the New York based furious band premiering many new works and recording for CRI and New World Records. Gabrielle also plays as guest leader and in guest principal positions in many of Britain's leading orchestras.

Equally dedicated to teaching, Gabrielle has held the position of adjunct violin professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook working with undergraduate, masters and doctoral students. She has given master classes and performance workshops at universities throughout New York, Chicago and Canada and at the Royal Academy of Music.

Gabrielle holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Diana Cummings, a Master of Music degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where she will also receive her Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree. Gabrielle was a scholarship student of and Teaching Assistant to Mitchell Stern. Winner of the Montgomery Violin Competition (United States) Gabrielle has also been the recipient of awards from the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, the Ackerman Awards and the Thomas Jefferson Scholarship Awards.

Szabó Trio Cellist Benedict Rogerson is a member of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. With them he has travelled all over the world performing in venues as diverse as the Community Centre on Inisboffin, the Forbidden Palace in Beijing and Carnegie Hall, New York, and worked with artists including Maxim Vengerov, Anne Murray, Nigel Kennedy and Anthony Marwood. Amongst the British orchestras with which he works are the BBC Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Northern Sinfonia.

Ben has played as principal cello of Richard Hickox's St. Endellion Festival Orchestra since 2004. He appeared as soloist with them in Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante in the summer of 2005 and will play Shostakovitch's Cello Concerto No1 later this year. He is also the cello coach of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, with whom he recently performed Tchaikowsky's Rococo Variations.

Ben was a scholarship student of Derek Simpson's at the Royal Academy of Music where he won the J. B. McEwen and Harold Craxton chamber music prizes. Later he spent a year at the State University of New York, Purchase College, where his teacher was Julia Lichten.

A former Head Chorister at Westminster Cathedral, the singing has resurfaced after a twenty year sabbattical, with the formation of the barbershop quartet 'The Back Row Boys', with colleagues from the ICO.

Leslie Hollingworth has built a reputation as a solo and chamber pianist of high quality and musical intelligence. He has collaborated with internationally distinguished artists, most notably the American cellist, Lynn Harrell with whom he played on a recent six-city tour of Italy (recorded by Italian Radio) and Spain, as well as violinist Cleo Gould and horn player Mike Thompson in a world premier performance of Holbrooke's Horn Trio at the Royal Academy of Music, London. In February 2001, Lelslie gave his début performance at the Wigmore Hall, London to great critical acclaim. More recently, he gave a performance with Lynn Harrell of Rachmaninov's Sonata for Cello and Piano at the Festival de Pollença, Majorca.

Leslie's performing career began in 1991 at the age of 18 with his début performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1. Since then he has given performances as a solo, concerto and chamber pianist in the UK, USA, throughout Europe and China.

During his time as a student at the Royal Academy of Music and the Bloomington School of Music (Indiana University, USA), Leslie Hollingworth gave memorable performances of large-scale works including Liszt Piano Concerto No 1 and Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata Op 106, for which he received the Leslie England Piano Prize for the most outstanding final recital at the Academy in 1997. He graduated the RAM in 1997 with a First Class Honours Degree and in 1999 was awarded the Diploma of Postgraduate Performance with Distinction. His prizes and awards are numerous. The most notable awards are from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the English Speaking Union, the Leverhulme Trust and the Academy's nomination for the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Leslie currently teaches piano at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The Bexley Academy of Music and Performing Arts, and is an examiner for The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Edexcel.

Suggested programmes for 2010/2011:

Mozart K502

Beethoven Opus 1, No 3

Shostakovich Trio No 2

Beethoven Opus 1, No 1

Shostakovitch Trio No 1, Opus 8

Tchaikowsky Opus 50

Haydn "The Gypsy Rondo" Trio

Ireland "Phantasie" Trio

Smetna Opus 15

Haydn Trio in C HobXV 27

Bridge "Phantasie" Trio

Brahms C major Opus 87

Haydn "Jacob's Dream" Trio

Beethoven "The Ghost" Opus 70, No 1

Rachmaninov Trio "Elegiaque" Opus 9

Mozart K542

Scubert Notturno D897

Whittall "A Postcard From Buenos Aires"

Ravel Trio in A minor