FLUTE, CELLO and PIANO
Founded during a residency at the cité internationale des arts, a cradle for artistic creation, The Azure Trio brings together three world-class international musicians. Louna Dekker-Vargas (flutist), Brian Howard (cellist) and Soraya Verdier (pianist) have performed in numerous concerts, festivals, and artist residencies from New York to Canada, Russia and Alaska to Paris to name a few. They have completed residencies at renowned artist centers such as Cité internationale des arts de Paris, the Festival of the Palaces of St. Petersburg, the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, the Imani Winds Quintet chamber music festival, and received prizes for chamber music and solo performances. The trio begins their inaugural season in Paris tackling two masterpieces for flute, cello and piano trio –
Trio op 49 by Felix Mendelssohn
and
Trois Aquarelles by Philippe Gaubert
Upcoming Concerts
Trio Azure x Rothko
November 18 at the Cité internationale des arts (Paris) – more info here
Trio Azure en concert
June 4, 2024 Nocturnes de Laude, Paris 14e
(ticketing information coming soon)
More information about the trio members:
Soraya Verdier (piano) is a consummate and versatile French piano soloist with an international presence, performing in France, French Polynesia, the USA, Germany, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Serbia and Austria. She holds numerous awards from international competitions such as the Xème international Mozart competition of Salzburg, the International Rotary-Rotaract Ramon Llull competition, the Hildegard Maschmann Foundation, the Milosz Magin competition and several others. She has been involved in numerous ongoing chamber music projects as well as guest appearances with orchestras throughout Europe. She was featured on the radio channel France Musique in 2018, performing with mezzo-soprano Natalie Pérez. She released her first album, playing Milosz Magin’s second piano concerto, with the label Acte Préalable in 2003. She holds degrees from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, the Mozarteum of Salzburg, and has worked with many renowned pianists in masterclasses.
Brian Howard is an American cellist who has performed extensively as an orchestral, chamber, and baroque musician in both the United States and Europe. He worked for many years in the US with the Roanoke, Charleston, and North Carolina Symphonies, as well as serving as principal cellist of the Firebird Chamber Orchestra in Miami, Florida. He appears on recordings with Miami’s Grammy-nominated choral group, Seraphic Fire. In Europe, he has performed throughout Belgium, Germany and France as a member of the ASSAI Cello Quartet and with other chamber ensembles. Brian is also a strong advocate for new music and has collaborated with leading contemporary composers including Joan Tower, Jeffrey Mumford, Oliver Knussen, and Harrison Birtwistle. He holds degrees in cello performance and English literature from Oberlin Conservatory and College.