The Lawson Trio believes fervently in introducing classical chamber music to a wider audience, and in giving young people the opportunity to discover the excitment of live music. The Trio is available for a broad range of concerts and workshops, from taster concerts tailored to suit any age group, through contemporary chamber music workshops for Chamber Music 2000, to performance and coaching sessions at universities such as Queen's in Belfast.
The Trio has given Children's concerts for a number of different types of organisations, including schools, music societies, Music in the Round, and the Florestan Trio's Peasmarsh Festival, and has recently become one of the CAVATINA Trust's Ensembles. Performances can be aimed at diverse age groups from toddlers up to the higher primary years, and can run as simple concerts, or include different levels of audience interaction and participation. The following are two of our most popular programmes:
Dance: from Gypsy to Gentry
A vibrant trip around the world bringing together toe-tapping works by composers including Grieg, Brahms, Mozart, Cassado, Stravinsky and Piazzolla amongst others. The children are encouraged to interract, and the programme includes audience participation.
Music at the Zoo
The Lawson Trio is joined by a viola and double bass. The audience is introduced to each of the instruments through animal-inspired works including Saint-Saens' The Swan and The Elephant, Alan Riout's Ferdinand the Bull, Rimsky Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee and Balakirev's The Lark. The concert culminates in Schubert's Trout Quintet (just the variations movement in the short version of the concert, or the complete work for a longer performance)
The Chamber Music 2000 project was originally conceived by the Schubert Ensemble who were aware of the lack of piano and string based chamber music suitable for amateurs and young musicians to play, particularly in contemporary repertoire. Through their commissions, and more recently works commissioned by the Lawson Trio, there is now an incredible wealth of new, short British works which are possible for any level of player to tackle. The Lawson Trio arranges regular series of workshops in schools around the country, often culminating in joint performances at major UK concert venues. The next series of workshops will run during the autumn 2011 and spring 2012 terms, and will lead up to a concert at the South Bank Centre in April 2012. If your school would be interested in taking part, please contact us.
Reactions to Lawson Trio Workshops:
Just had to let you know what a terrific afternoon we've had today! The girls from the Lawson Trio were delightful and so talented. They immediately developed a relationship with the children - who were in absolute awe of them - which was lovely to see because most of them will never have heard that kind of musIc before - particularly live. I am so glad that I went in - I just wouldn't have appreciated how fabulous it was if I hadn't been there.
Pam Handson
Nook Lane Junior School
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