Firebird Trio and Friends: An Equal Music

Following last year’s sold-out performance of Dark Beethoven, the renowned chamber group Firebird Trio return to Hawthorn Arts Centre with another evocative and revealing program on Friday 26 July.

Vikram Seth’s best-selling novel An Equal Music beautifully explores the intense relationships between musicians and the repertoire they’re drawn to. In this unique performance of beauty and passion, the collective will bring this captivating love story to life by performing the musical works featured prominently throughout the novel.

Firebird Trio consists of three of Australia’s most respected chamber musicians—pianist Benjamin Martin, violinist Curt Thompson and cellist Josephine Vains. Joining them on stage is pianist Rhodri Clarke (UK), violinist Chris Cartlidge and double-bassist Stuart Riley (UK).

Together, Firebird Trio and friends will ignite the stage with some of the greatest works in chamber music, including Schubert’s beloved Trout Quintet for strings and piano, Beethoven’s Piano Trio in C Minor and Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, which showcases the dazzling virtuosity of violinist Curt Thompson as an uplifting highlight of the evening.

Pianist and composer Benjamin Martin has been identified by The Australian as ‘the best young talent for the new millennium’; the Julliard graduate has risen to become recognised as an artist of exceptional versatility and subtlety of expression.

Violinist Curt Thompson currently serves as Associate Professor and Head of Strings at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, where he is a founding member of the Ormond Quartet.

Josephine Vains is a cellist and esteemed educator. Her career has taken her to concert stages across Asia, Europe, Australia, North America and the Caribbean. She currently teaches at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music and Monash University.

Firebird Trio has performed nationwide to critical acclaim, with a vibrancy that echoes its name. Performances over the years include Musica Viva, Noosa Long Weekend Festival, Coffs Harbour Music Society, Camberwell Music Society, Macedon Music, Melbourne Recital Centre, 3MBS Marathon, ABC Sunday Live and more.

Hawthorn Arts Centre presents an exciting and varied arts program and is home to performance, exhibition, workshop and events spaces. Visitors can enjoy refreshments at the Events Bar or explore Hawthorn and discover the area’s culinary delights.