Storytellers : Higdon, Harbison, Ives

Description

Storytellers by the Trio Azura opens the Colburn Collection: a new exclusive collaboration between Delos and the Colburn School, Los Angeles, aimed primarily at serving as a springboard for the next generation of musicians. Nearly a century separates the works on this album, yet their composers Charles Ives, John Harbison, and Jennifer Higdon share that uniquely American spirit, characterized by curiosity and individuality. Their music questions, provokes, insinuates, entertains, challenges, and explores, constantly seeking new ways to tell a story. These different musical languages are interpreted by the Trio Azura, an ensemble praised for "its intelligence and imagination" (Gramophone). As the resident ensemble of the Colburn School, the Trio Azura is the winner of the 2025 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and is also the resident ensemble of this organization. It is also the winner of the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The Trio Azura consists of Canadian violinist Duncan McDougall, South Korean cellist Yejin Hong, and Chinese pianist Yanfeng (Tony) Bai.