Location and date:
Sunday, 2.30pm.
Old Library Building Arts Centre
7 Rust Avenue, Whangarei
Overview:
The Ghost Trio explore the cultural diversity of the piano trio canon, including works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Tōru Takemitsu, Maurice Ravel, and the premiere of a new work by Aotearoa composer Glen Downie.
Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven | Piano Trio in D major Op. 70, No. 1 “Ghost” 26’
Tōru Takemitsu | Between Tides, SJ1091 16’
—Interval—
Glen Downie (Aotearoa, 1991) | Sonata da chiesa (world premiere) 12’
Maurice Ravel | Piano Trio in A minor* 28’
Artist biographies
For the past eight years, Monique Lapins has been Second violinist with the New Zealand String Quartet and Lecturer at New Zealand School of Music – Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington.
A finalist twice in the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition, Monique has performed in festivals throughout France, the Czech Republic, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and at the Open Chamber Music Seminars in Prussia Cove, directed by world-renowned cellist, Steven Isserlis. Monique has also toured extensively in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra Collective, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra (Japan), and performed with artists including Seiji Ozawa (conductor) in Japan, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor) in France, Jerusalem String Quartet in New Zealand (ACMF), Dénes Várjon (pianist) in New Zealand (ACMF), and as a soloist with French violinist, Oliver Charlier in Japan.
Monique Lapins is a recording artist with Naxos and Rattle Labels and in 2022, celebrated the release of her latest Rattle Records recording with pianist Jian Liu featuring Sonatas for Violin and Piano by Béla Bartók.
Monique performs on a 1784 Lorenzo Storioni violin kindly loaned by David Duncan Craig on behalf of the Lily Duncan Trust.
London-born cellist, Ken Ichinose, was appointed Associate Principal Cello of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2014, while also pursuing a busy chamber music career in New Zealand.
Ken is the cellist in the Ghost Piano Trio and has performed with Kiwa Quartet, New Zealand String Quartet, Amici Ensemble, and the contemporary music group Stroma. He also helped establish the Glenn Douglas Winter Chamber Music Festival in Florida, and returns to London regularly to perform.
Before moving to New Zealand, he was a founding member of the Galitzin Quartet, formed at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he studied with Paul Watkins. The quartet performed extensively for a decade, completing major tours in the UK, Germany, France, Portugal, and Holland. They were first-prize winners of the 2007 Charles Hennen Competition in the Netherlands and received tuition and guidance from the Vermeer, Jerusalem, and Ysaÿe Quartets.
During this time, Ken worked and toured extensively with the Philharmonia, Orchestra of The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, among others.
Ken performs on an unnamed Italian instrument dating back to circa 1780, which was previously played by prominent German cellist Bernhard Braunholz in the Kehr Trio. This storied instrument was featured in the trio’s recordings during the 1960s.
Polish-born pianist, Gabriela Glapska, based in Wellington, New Zealand, holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction from Poland and a 2020 PhD in music from Victoria University of Wellington. During her studies, she won numerous awards and scholarships, including the 2018 Wellington International Student Excellence Award in the creativity category and the Victoria Doctoral Scholarship.
A sought after chamber musician and accompanist, Gabriela champions contemporary music, collaborating with award-winning composers as well as Wellington-based contemporary ensemble STROMA and the SMP Ensemble. In August 2022, she performed solo and chamber recitals at the ISCM World New Music Days Festival in Auckland.
Co-founding the Ghost Trio, she toured with Chamber Music New Zealand in 2021 and in October 2023 received acclaim for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra. Gabriela has been a regular rehearsal pianist for the Royal New Zealand Ballet since 2021 and she also collaborates with soprano Barbara Paterson, TrioNique, New Zealand Opera, and Wellington Opera.