Trio 180, the faculty piano trio-in-residence at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music, is dedicated to its roles as performer, proponent of new music, and educator. In addition to giving concerts and master classes throughout the United States, the trio has been featured on concert series in Mexico and Canada. This talented ensemble includes celebrated concert violinist Ann Miller, renowned cellist Vicky Wang, and award-winning pianist Sonia Leong.

 

Trio 180 performs a wide range of music from the Classical era to the present and is an active advocate of new music. The trio was awarded a Barlow Grant in 2006 to commission eminent composer Chen Yi’s first piano trio, Tibetan Tunes (Theodore Presser).  The trio also premiered Eric Wood's Elgin Movements (2022), Robert Coburn’s a depth of silence (2018); Robert Greenberg’s 180 Shift (2013); Reinaldo Moya’s Gothic Sea (2011, in honor of Trio 180’s tenth anniversary); Francois Rose's Gently, Wild Rose Petals (2008); Derek Jacoby's Trio No. 2 (2008); and Allan Crossman's Icarus (2005). The trio has also recorded works by Jorge Liderman (Suite del Sur; Sidewalk recorded on Albany Records), and Cindy Cox (Wave).  

 

The trio mentors young musicians and chamber music groups at the University of the Pacific's Conservatory of Music, where all three members are on faculty. In addition, Trio 180 frequently performs at elementary and high schools throughout California, presenting varied and interactive programs designed to challenge and engage young students.

 

The trio has been featured at Chamber Music America's National Conference in New York, as well as the Music Teachers' Association of California's Annual Convention. It has toured to Vancouver, Canada, and Ajijic, Mexico; presented numerous performances for Composers Inc., in San Francisco and Berkeley; and given concerts at Del Valle Fine Arts (Livermore); the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento); the Mondavi Center (Davis); the Sundays Live series (Los Angeles County Museum);  Sundays at 3 (Columbia, MD), and Old First Concerts (San Francisco). Recently, the trio was featured on Music for a Great Space's Women in Music Series in Greensboro, NC. The trio completed its first CD of works by Dvorak, Suk, and Schumann in 2015. During the pandemic, the trio gave several online performances: Gabriela Lena Frank's Four Folk Songs for Piano Trio, presenting the work live with the composer; and Rebecca Clarke's Piano Trio, with musicologist Dr. Sarah Waltz.

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The trio celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, with commissioned works by Dorothy Chang, Cindy Cox, Andrew Conklin, Richard Einhorn, and Reinaldo Moya.

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