Velvet Harmonies: An Afternoon with Chausson

Join the Portland Piano Trio for an unforgettable afternoon of artistry and emotion as they perform Chausson's Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 3. This passionate and richly textured masterpiece captures the spirit of late Romanticism, weaving delicate melodies and powerful harmonies into a stirring musical journey.

Renowned for their dynamic chemistry and nuanced performances, the Portland Piano Trio brings this evocative work to life with elegance and intensity. Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in an exquisite performance of a rarely heard gem in the chamber music repertoire.

Free and open to the public!

Join us after the concert for the 240 Strings Student Showcase Celebration!

Portland Conservatory of Music

28 Neal St., Portland

"​An Afternoon of Passion and Poetry"

Join the Portland Piano Trio for an unforgettable ​afternoon of chamber music that bridges the Romantic and contemporary eras. This dynamic ensemble will present a captivating program featuring Edvard Grieg's richly expressive Andante con moto for Piano Trio, William Matthews' A Book of Hours, and Fritz Kreisler's charming Londonderry Air.

With their signature blend of technical brilliance and heartfelt artistry, the Portland Piano Trio invites you to explore a world of soaring melodies, vibrant harmonies, and emotional depth. Whether you're a seasoned classical music lover or new to the genre, this concert promises an inspiring journey through the beauty and power of chamber music.

Free and open to the public, RSVP here: https://porttix.com/whats-on/240-strings-passion-and-poetry/

Portland Conservatory of Music

28 Neal St., Portland

240 Strings continues their community concert season on December 14 at 3pm at 28 Neal Street in Portland. The Portland Piano Trio will play the Mozart C Major Trio, written in the midst of  excruciating hardship, and the G Minor Piano Trio, which the young Chopin wrote while still in Poland under the thumb of Russian rule.

Free and open to the public! Free reservations are required through Portix.

This concert will be held at Portland Conservatory, 18 Neal St., Portland, ME.

After the concert, stay for the 240 Strings mid-year student showcase!

In this stunning season-opening concert, the Portland Piano Trio will perform pieces by some of their favorite composers. (Spoiler alert: this concert features women playing music by women!)

“One of today’s finest composers was a compositional late bloomer. Jennifer Higdon wrote her first pieces in college and went on to win the 2010 Pulitzer Prize (for her Violin Concerto) and two Grammy Awards (for her Percussion Concerto and Viola Concerto). She has been praised as “a savvy, sensitive composer with a keen ear, an innate sense of form and a generous dash of pure esprit.” -Classical California KUSC

“From an early age Clara's prodigious talent at the piano was esteemed throughout Europe. Her talent at the keyboard attracted fellow composer Robert Schumann, and the pair married in 1840.
Clara continued to perform throughout her life, but her skills as a composer were never fully realised. Balancing her husband's mental instability, the pressures of a solo career, and a family of eight children put pressure on her time, but she still managed to create many important works: her Piano Concerto, Piano Trio and songs set her apart as one of the most talented - if not one of the most overlooked - composers of the era.
Clara was unsure if she should continue to write music because she was a woman. She said: "A woman must not desire to compose — there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?"- Classic FM

Elena Ruehr says of her music “the idea is that the surface be simple, the structure complex.” And from Gramophone Magazine, “The sound world is wholly Ruehr: it never sounds like anyone else and the effect is exhilarating…her output is unified by her desire to communicate effectively without compromise…” An award winning faculty member at MIT, she has been a Guggenheim Fellow, a fellow at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute and composer-in-residence with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Known for her vocal music and collaboration with poets, she has written five operas, five cantatas and a number of songs. She has also written extensively for orchestra, chorus, wind ensemble, chamber ensemble, instrumental solo, opera, dance and silent film. Her work has been performed internationally and described as “sumptuously scored and full of soaring melodies” (The New York Times), and “unspeakably gorgeous” (Gramophone).

This concert will be held at Portland Conservatory, 28 Neal Street, Portland, ME. Parking available in lot or on street.

Free and Open to the Public! No tickets or reservations necessary.

“Piazzolla, to this day, is claimed by everybody. He’s claimed by world music, classical musicians, jazz musicians. He’s one of us, because… people recognise, in his music, their own DNA” — Yo-Yo Ma

We wrap up the 240 Strings Concert Series in grand style with Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons” and Ravel’s Piano Trio! Maurice Ravel and Astor Piazzolla were both influential composers of the 20th century. Ravel was a French composer who was known for his unique use of harmony and orchestration, while Piazzolla was an Argentine composer who revolutionized the tango genre by blending traditional tango with jazz and classical music. Both Ravel and Piazzolla's compositions were characterized by their expressive melodies and intricate rhythms.

Free and open to the public

3pm

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Portland, ME

Parking available in lot and on street

Stay after the concert to hear the students of 240 Strings perform!

Classical composers have looked to folk music for inspiration from the earliest days to the present. Piano trios by Dvorak and Wijeratne will explore the use of diverse traditional music throughout the ages, opening our hearts and ears to the world.

Free and open to the public

3pm

New Venue! Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St. Portland, ME

Parking is available in lot or on the street

Our pre-solstice concert explores the waning light of the season. Composers have long been fascinated with light, mood and the seasons. We will perform a collection of light-filled works by Saariaho, Boulanger, Pärt, Bunch, Kirchner and Florence Price.
If you missed our fall concert, you will be treated to our new Steinway piano and our sweet new venue, the Parish Hall of Holy Trinity Church.

Free and open to the public

3pm

Parish Hall, Holy Trinity Church, 133 Pleasant St., Portland, ME 04101

Parking available in lot or on street

Our opening concert of the 2023-24 season celebrates the colors of autumn through music! With works by Kirchner, Mazzoli and Higdon, the Portland Piano Trio will dazzle with a kaleidoscope of musical colors. This will be the inaugural concert on our fabulous Steinway piano, in our cool new venue, the Parish Hall of Holy Trinity Church.

Free and open to the public

3pm

Parish Hall, Holy Trinity Church, 133 Pleasant St., Portland, ME 04101

Parking available in lot and on street

George Crumb (1929-2022) is one of the most frequently performed composers in today's musical world. We are paying tribute by performing his piece, “Voice of the Whale.”

"In the mid-20th century, when American composer George Crumb heard a recording of humpback whale songs, he decided to discover how they might be imitated by a piano, flute, and cello working in concert and amplified. The result was Vox balaenae (Voice of the Whale). On a stage bathed in sea-blue light, performers wear masks, and to further the otherworldly atmosphere the flutist sings into the instrument, the pianist slides a chisel along a string, and the amplified cello is tuned irregularly."-libraryjournal.com

Our first concert of the season is happening at First Parish Church, 425 Congress St., in Portland, and is free and open to the public.

Martinu: Sonata for Flute, Violin, Piano

Smith Moore: Afro-American Suite

Crumb: Voice of the Whale

Bunch: Until Next Time

Annie Antonacos, piano

Tracey Jasas-Hardel, violin

Jing Li, cello

Nicole Rabata, flute

240 Strings students and their teachers, the Portland Piano Trio, perform for residents of The Cedars. This concert is private and not open to the public.

This concert has been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Folk music is everywhere around us, from every country. In this concert, we will celebrate folk music from a few places in the world. We will play some jazz and we will each take a turn with some solo folk music (spoiler alert: Annie’s solo will be Greek!)

Short Jazzy Pieces for Piano Trio by Ilan Rechtman

Roots II by David Baker 

Kodály Duo for Violin and Cello

Surprise solo(s)!

This is a FREE concert! There are no tickets! And of course, Rosemont brownies will be served!

We have decided, in the interest of public health, to cancel this concert. Stay healthy, and we will see you at our May concert!

Gypsy music was a fascinating draw in many European cafes, so interesting that Haydn wrote the last movement of his “Gypsy” trio in the Hungarian gypsy style. Schoenfield’s “Cafe Music” was inspired by his stint playing background piano music in a restaurant. And the Fauré? ‘Following the first public performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 120, some friends of the composer are reported to have turned to each other and asked, 'If he lives to be a hundred, how far will he go?'"

Haydn “Gypsy” Trio

Schoenfield “Cafe Music”

Fauré Piano Trio, Op. 120

This event is FREE, there are no tickets! Of course, Rosemont brownies will be served:)

Maine Charitable Mechanic Hall

519 Congress St

Portland

"Twilight - a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not."-- Howard Thurman

In the twilight of 2019, Portland Piano Trio will explore two works involving twilight-"Night Scenes" by Donald Crockett, and Schubert's Piano Trio in E-flat major, D.929, written in the twilight of his life.

Maine Charitable Mechanic Association Ballroom
519 Congress St
Portland,ME