Conceived in the great artistic traditions of European poetry and chamber music, Trio Jean Paul is one of today’s most highly regarded and distinguished chamber ensembles, widely praised for their “acutely musical and sophisticated” performances. (The New York Times)
Named for the author Jean Paul, the Trio makes music’s speech-like and rhetorical elements the fundamental point of departure for all interpretations. This approach bridges the works of the Classical and Romantic eras and enables the Trio to perform both standard repertoire and contemporary works with exceptional poetic fluency. Trio Jean Paul premiered compositions by composers including Martin Christoph Tedel, Kee Yong Chong, Michael Denhoff, Gordon Kerry, Volker David Kirchne, Albrecht Gürschin, et al.
Recent highlights include performances at the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Wigmore Hall in London, the Musikhalle Hamburg, and the Sociedad Filarmónica in Bilbao. In North America, Trio Jean Paul has appeared at the Frick Collection in New York City, the Shriver Hall Concert Series in Baltimore, at Yale University, and at the Ladies’ Morning Musical Club in Montreal.
This season Trio Jean Paul performs throughout North America, in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal and elsewhere. The Trio also appears at the Tonhalle Zurich in special performances honoring Haydn and Mendelssohn.
Founded in 1991, the Trio Jean Paul won First Prizes at international competitions in Osaka, Melbourne and at the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb in Germany. They have since regularly appeared in major music centers in London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels, and on tours to Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South America. They have appeared in masterclass and performance at international festivals including Edinburgh, Holstein, Lucerne, Kissinger Sommer, Ludwigsburger Festspiele, Rheingau and at the Schubertiade Feldkirch.
Trio Jean Paul’s recordings include an award-winning disc of Brahms and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik), works by Schumann, Beethoven, and the latest disc featuring the piano trios of Mendelssohn.
Eckart Heiligers, piano
Born in Kleve in 1964. Studied with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hannover, and Leon Fleisher in Baltimore, USA. Scholarship holder of the “Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes” (Academic Foundation of the German People), the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and of the German Music Competition. France Graage Performance Scholarship. Multiple laureate at international competitions, for example in Vercelli, Athens, Salt Lake City, and Oslo. Worldwide concert performances as soloist, chamber musician, and lied accompanist.
Eckart Heiligers holds a professorship in piano and chamber music at the Musikhochschule Zurich.
Ulf Schneider, violin
Born in Braunschweig in 1968. Studied with Jens Ellermann in Hannover, with Felix Galimir and Masao Kawasaki at Juilliard School New York, as well as with Thomas Zehetmair at the “Hochschule der Künste” (Academy of Arts) in Berlin. Scholarship holder of the “Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes” (Academic Foundation of the German people) and of the “Stiftung Niedersachsen” (Lower Saxony Foundation). First prize at the Academy Competition in Berlin (1993), City of Kassel Arts Prize (1996). Multifaceted concert performances as soloist and as chamber musician. CD-releases for Ars Musici and ECM. He holds a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover.
Martin Löhr, cello
Born in Hamburg in 1967. Studied with Wolfgang Mehlhorn in Hamburg, with Zara Nelson at Juilliard School in New York, and with Wolfgang Boettcher at the “Hochschule der Künste” (Academy of Arts) in Berlin. Scholarship holder of the “Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes” (Academic Foundation of the German People), Masefield Scholarship. Federal choice “Konzerte junger Künstler” (Concerts of young artists). Subsidy award of the “Mozartgesellschaft” Wiesbaden. First prize in the “Jeunesses Musicales” international cello competition in Belgrade (1995). Worldwide concert performances as soloist, and chamber musician. Solo cellist of the Berlin Philharmonics. Professorship at the “Hochschule der Künste”, Berlin, and classes at the “Herbert-von-Karajan-Academy“.
(April 2010. Please discard previously dated materials and contact publicity@colbertartists.com before making any alterations or cuts.)
