Since January 2009, the Marsyas Trio has regularly performed charity concerts throughout London. The trio was heard last May at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, as part of the Sofia Music Weeks festival and has appeared on Bulgarian National Television, Classic FM radio and was recorded by the Bulgarian National Radio. The trio recently performed in the Young Artists series of the Lake District Summer Music Festival and were able to undertake studies at the Lake District Summer Music Academy with members of the Chilingirian Quartet and Skampa Quartet thanks to generous donations. Future engagements in include recitals at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Southwark Cathedral and the Mole Valley Arts Alive Festival in Dorking.
The Marsyas Trio is currently undertaking coaching with Michael Cox of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and with pianist Richard Shaw in preparation for international competitions in Italy and Japan. The Trio is represented in Central and Eastern Europe by DramaExport (www.dramaexport.org), which was recently awarded the Young Aspiration Award by the National Palace of Culture for their work with the Marsyas Trio. Applications for financial support to commission a work by Elena Firsova are currently under-way.
Australian flutist Helen Vidovich, Canadian cellist Valerie Welbanks and pianist Fei Ren from New Zealand met as postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They formed the Marsyas Trio in November 2008 following the completion of their degrees. The members of the Marsyas Trio are all currently working on a freelance basis in London. Individual activities include working with various orchestras, choirs, opera companies and theatre productions, as well as giving instrumental and chamber music tuition in schools.
The Marsyas Trio takes its name from Greek mythology – a dedication to the flute-playing satyr, Marsyas. According to the myth, Marsyas dared to compete in a musical contest with Apollo, God of the Lyre, winning the contest but losing his life to the wrath of Apollo and thus saving his dying breaths for the instrument he immortalized. This mythology encapsulates the spirit of becoming a musician – symbolic of music as a passion.
