TRIO 180

Violinist Ann Miller has appeared in concert halls in North America, Europe, and Asia. A proponent of new music, Ms. Miller made her New York debut as a soloist with the New Juilliard Ensemble in Alice Tully Hall in the North American premiere of David Matthews’ Concerto No. 2. She has performed with the ensemble Continuum in venues throughout New York City, Mongolia, and Ukraine. In addition, Ms. Miller recently performed in Switzerland under the direction of Pierre Boulez during an exchange program between the Juilliard School and the Lucerne Festival Academy.

An avid chamber musician, Ann Miller is a member of Trio 180 (formerly New Pacific Trio), the trio-in-residence at the University of the Pacific. Her chamber music coaches have included Jerome Lowenthal, Seymour Lipkin, Robert McDonald, Norman Fischer, James Dunham, Paul Katz, and members of the Juilliard and Tokyo string quartets. Ms. Miller has participated in the New York String Orchestra Seminar and has spent summers at Kneisel Hall, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.

Ms. Miller joined the faculty of the University of the Pacific in September of 2008 as an assistant professor of music. Ms. Miller holds her M.M. and D.M.A. from the Juilliard School, and she received her B.M., summa cum laude, from Rice University. Her teachers have included Ronald Copes and Kathleen Winkler. In addition to her passion for music, she enjoys running, reading, and vegetarian food.

Nina Flyer has toured, recorded and taught throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and America. She has been Principal Cellist with the symphonies of Jerusalem, Bergen (Norway), and Iceland, the Women’s Philharmonic, the Bear Valley Orchestra, and has held the post of acting Principal Cellist with the San Diego Symphony. She is presently Principal Cellist of the Pacific Chamber Symphony, as well as cello and chamber music professor and member of the acclaimed in-residence piano trio, Trio 180, at the University of the Pacific, Conservatory of Music. Ms. Flyer also teaches cello at the California State University (East Bay) School of Music. She records frequently for the TV and Motion Picture Industry, and performs on a regular basis with the San Francisco Symphony.

As a proponent of contemporary music, Ms. Flyer plays regularly with Composers Inc. and has had many pieces written for her. Ms. Flyer is a featured soloist on two recent CDs: a concerto by Shulamit Ran, performed with the English Chamber Orchestra; and solo and chamber works by Lou Harrison, both out on KOCH International. These two CDs have met with great critical acclaim and have both been nominated for Grammy™ Awards. The San Francisco Chronicle stated, “Nina Flyer’s sonorous cello playing was something to savor” , while The Jerusalem Post wrote, “...fine musician...committed interpreter...smooth technique and controlled emotionalism...”; a CD reviewer in Strings Magazine wrote, “hauntingly beautiful performance”.

Ms. Flyer’s newest CD, featuring original and arranged works for cello and piano, and narrated by David Ogden Stiers, won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio “Best Audio of 2010” award. She recorded a piece called “Flyer”, for cello and orchestra, composed by Allan Crossman, and dedicated to her, with the North/South Consonance in New York in 2007; the CD was released in 2008. Ms. Flyer is anxiously awaiting the return of the sea lions and harbor seals to Mission Creek, close to where she lives in San Francisco.

IN REVIEW:

STRINGS MAGAZINE, August 4, 2016, By Cristina Schreil

All three seem to sensitively negotiate the vital contrasts between moments of uplifting happiness and somber, contemplative, lamenting passages central to the dumky form. They play with admirable cohesion...the trio’s pleasing musicality and deft, splendid playing is overall transporting. As the ensemble’s name may imply, it’s worth turning back for another listen.""

track samples - 60 sec.

Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 90, “Dumky” - Antonin Dvořák
1. *I. Lento maestoso - poco adagioo*
2. *II Andante sostenuto e misterioso*
3. *III. Andante moderato*
4. *IV. Allegro*
5. *V. Lento maestoso*
6. Elegie, Op. 23 - Josef Suk
Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63 - Robert Schumann
7. *I. Mit Energie und Leidenschaft*
8. *II. Lebhaft, doch nicht zu rasch*
9. *III. Langsam, mit inniger Empfindung*
10. *IV. Mit Feuer*

Pianist Sonia Leong image

Pianist Sonia Leong has performed in Canada, the United States, England, Romania, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. She has appeared with the Filarmonica de Stat Dinu Lipatti in Satu Mare, Romania, the Banff Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Stockton Symphony, the St. John Chamber Orchestra, and has performed live on Radio Suisse Romande in Geneva. She was a prizewinner at the Concours Piano 80, in Switzerland, and a finalist at the Concorso Pianistico Nazionale “Città de Cesenatico” in Italy. From 2001–03, she played with Music Now, a new music ensemble based in Sacramento. She appears regularly on the Sierra Chamber Society concert series, both with her trio and in other chamber music combinations.

Ms. Leong studied at the University of British Columbia, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Université de Montréal, as well as at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) on a Commonwealth Scholarship. Her principal teachers include Robert Silverman, Julian Martin, and Marc Durand. She has participated in festivals at the Banff Centre; Orford, Quebec; Scotia Festival; Ladevie, France; and Ernen, Switzerland (with György Sebök).

The St. Galler Tagblatt (Switzerland) wrote of Ms. Leong’s “richly colorful and tender playing”, saying “she balances intelligence and sensitivity, revealing the depths of each score”. The San Francisco Classical Voice described her “sensitive and accomplished touch” and wrote, “Leong…played the brilliant piano part effortlessly and with a great deal of flair”. Dr. Leong has taught at the University of Puget Sound, and currently teaches at the University of the Pacific, where she is a founding member of the in- residence piano trio, Trio 180, now in its 10th season.

TRIO 180 image