The Kentish Piano Trio: From Mendelssohn to Matthews—175 years of the piano trio
Helen Crayford (piano), Kathy Shave (violin), Julia Vohralik (cello)
Consummate musicianship and electrifying performing ability, along with tremendously fizzy musical personalities, make this ensemble an unalloyed joy to watch. This celebrated group premieres an exciting new work by Stephen Matthews, followed by a masterpiece of the romantic repertoire.
- Felix Mendelssohn - Piano Trio no 2 in C minor, Op.66
- Stephen Matthews - “2020”, Op.189
All of our lunchtime events begin at 1pm and are free entry.
All the concerts feature introductory ‘listening guides’ prepared by the performers and will be followed by a brief opportunity to discuss the work afterwards.
All concerts will be live streamed via Microsoft Teams. The URL to access it will be on your e-ticket. The live stream will be available to view for 7 days after the event date.
Tickets to the concert are free, but when you book you have the option to pay a £3 donation to the Student Scholarship Fund. In previous years we have had a collection tin for the fund, but for obvious reasons wanted to provide a contactless alternative this year.
The Student Scholarship Fund exists to support those students who would like to take advantage of an opportunity to extend and enrich their studies in some way but lack the resources. For example, the Fund would support the study of a second instrument (or voice); a masterclass off-campus; a summer school residency; or the purchase of specialist equipment or software.
At the age of eight, Helen Crayford started studying trumpet and piano in the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music. She subsequently gained an MA from Cambridge and was invited to join the first-ever all-female Brass Quintet, the Gallina. They went on to win several prestigious awards and perform on special occasions, such as the opening of Covent Garden Piazza.
When the Quintet disbanded, Helen developed her work as a freelance pianist, working in opera, ensembles and as an accompanist. As keyboard player she has performed with all the major London orchestras, most recently the Philharmonia. For several years she was pianist with the Britten Sinfonia, where she met Kath and Julia. This led subsequently to them inviting her to join the Kentish Piano Trio, which has gone on to perform to great acclaim all over Kent.
On the lighter side, Helen’s one-woman show “Rags to Riches” takes its listeners on a whistle-stop tour of Ragtime, Novelty Piano and Jazz—all performed in period costume. It has been greeted with enthusiasm from London’s South Bank to the Edinburgh Jazz Festival!
Kathy Shave studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music, leading many orchestras, studying with the Amadeus Quartet and the Beaux-Arts Piano Trio and going on to win the piano chamber music prize. While there, she also led the Britten-Pears Orchestra at Snape and the Essex Youth Orchestra. Subsequently, Kathy directed and toured with the Kreisler String Orchestra, which won the International Jeunesses Musicales competition. She was also leader of the English Touring Opera Orchestra and guest principal for Britten Sinfonia, Orchestra de Cadequez, the Michael Nyman Band and the London Chamber Orchestra, with whom she played at the Royal Wedding in 2012.
Other ensembles with whom Kathy has played and recorded include the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and Glyndebourne Touring Opera. Kathy has played on recordings for major films, TV, and pop artists such as Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams and Madonna. In addition, she has built up a busy teaching practice.
Julia Vohralik, a long-standing member of the Britten Sinfonia and graduate of Cambridge University, studied with William Pleeth. Shortly thereafter she played solo cello in a season and tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, culminating in a performance at the LA Olympic Arts Festival, and subsequently featured in over twenty RSC productions. For 25 years Julia was a member of the chamber group Jeux, and with the Muhlfeld Ensemble she recorded commissioned works by Lutyens, Powers, LeFanu, Williams and Marsh. Julia was sub-principal, and subsequently guest principal, of the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. She participated with London Sinfonietta and Glyndebourne Touring Opera and played in many recent English National Opera productions. Further career highlights include Arvo Pärt’s ‘Passio’ with the Hilliard Ensemble in Japan, New York, Bergen, Stockholm, Krakow, Bolzano and BBC Proms, many concerts under Sir Simon Rattle with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, an ENO production of ‘Parsifal’ conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, and Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ with many different instrumentalists. Julia is active in teaching all age groups, even coaching Dame Helen Mirren and Maryam d’Abo for theatre and film roles, and has contributed to educational projects with choreographer Wayne McGregor. A resident of Canterbury, Julia is engaged with the local community, playing concertos with the Kent Concert Orchestra, also making frequent appearances with CantiaQuorum and the Kentish Piano Trio. She enjoys solo cello work with local choirs, and performs in regular services at Canterbury Cathedral. ‘Live Music Now’ with pianist Malcolm Martineau enabled Julia to play in hospitals, hospices and prisons, and ‘Bach to Baby’ welcomed children of all ages. The Britten Sinfonia has afforded Julia the opportunity to play at the Sistine Chapel, as well as in China, South America, New York, Scandinavia and also throughout Europe.
