College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

Traditionally, it's the third time that's the charm. For the Claremont Trio, their charmed run of appearances in Dayton will soon total eight.

First featured by the Vanguard Concerts in 2004, the Claremont Trio will appear in concert at the University of Dayton at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, in the Sears Recital Hall of the Jesse Philips Humanities Center on campus. The Vanguard Legacy Concert will open the 2017-18 ArtsLIVE concert season.

Founded by twins Emily and Julia Bruskin, the Claremont Trio grew out of the sisters’ experience as strings students at the Juilliard School of Music. Early recognition from prestigious competitions helped launch their careers and led Elana Bolling, artistic director of the Vanguard Concerts, to book them for their first concert in Dayton in 2004. Based for more than 50 years at the Dayton Art Institute, the Vanguard series eventually featured the Claremont ensemble on seven occasions.

Founded in 1962, the Vanguard Concerts chamber music series moved to the University last year and now continues under the ArtsLIVE program’s umbrella through a generous endowment established by the Bolling family.

Vanguard patrons have long enjoyed a close rapport with the series’ visiting musicians. For decades, Elana Bolling, her late husband Vince and a few other avid fans of the series provided lodging and hospitality for the dozens of chamber groups they presented in concert.

Dayton residents Burt and Alice Saidel have often opened their home and will do so again this year. The Claremont Trio has enjoyed their hospitality in the past.

“It’s so wonderful to feel so welcome away from our homes,” said Emily Bruskin about one of their many visits to Dayton. “We have met some genuinely warm and kind-hearted people there, especially Burt and Alice Saidel.”

In addition to Emily Bruskin (violin) and Julia Bruskin (cello), the trio features Andrea Lam, who replaced founding pianist Donna Kwong in 2012. Lam brings her own set of impressive accolades to the stage, including recognition as a semifinalist in the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition and as Silver Medalist at the San Antonio Piano Competition.

For their Dayton appearance, the Claremont Trio plans a program featuring works by two female composers — Fanny Mendelssohn and Gabriela Lena Frank — as well as by Beethoven, whose famous Archduke Trio will be performed.

The concert is the trio’s first appearance on the University campus and opens the Vanguard Legacy Concerts’ second season. Additional Vanguard concerts this season include the Telegraph String Quartet on Nov. 19 and the St. Petersburg Piano Quartet on March 11, 2018.

Tickets are $18 general admission; $15 for seniors, military and University faculty, staff and alumni. Admission is free for University students and children under age 8. Advance tickets are available by calling the University Box Office at 937-229-2545 or visiting the ArtsLIVE ticket website. Vanguard Legacy Concerts season subscriptions also are available.

More information is available at the ArtsLIVE website.

- Eileen Carr, ArtsLIVE coordinator