Trio Gaspard

Nicholas Rimmer | Piano
Jonian Ilias Kadesha | Violin
Vashti Hunter | Violoncello

“Heartbreakingly honest, true to style and rich in color, with transparency and good agogics. This trio belongs to another league.”

Trio Gaspard has championed the entire breadth of piano trio repertoire to become one of the most sought-after trios of its generation, praised for its unique and fresh approach to the score. As well as exploring well-known classics, the players work with contemporary composers and research seldom-played masterpieces, sharing their discoveries with audiences at prestigious venues around the world.

Their curiosity for uncovering repertoire has led to recent performances of Ethyl Smyth’s Piano Trio in D minor at the BBC Proms, broadcast live by the BBC, and Bernd Alois Zimmermann rarely performed Présence: Ballet Blanc, alongside dancer Luka Fritsch, recorded live at the Pierre Boulez Saal and released on the trio’s “Live in Berlin” CD, in cooperation with Deutschlandradio.

Also committed to commissioning new works, the trio has launched an extensive project to commission composers such as Olli Mustonen, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Helena Winkelmann, Sally Beamish, Kit Armstrong, Johannes Fischer and Leonid Gorokhov to write companion pieces to Haydn’s piano trios. For its debut project with Chandos Records, the group is currently recording these works alongside Haydn’s originals. The second instalment of the project was released in 2023 to great critical acclaim and The Strad wrote of the first volume, “It’s truly a delight, and leaves this listener hungry for more.” Alongside their Haydn recordings, 2023 also saw the first release in a new series of Stories discs, focussing on different European cultural capitals and the composers associated with them. Berlin Stories was released in 2023 and included music by Mendelssohn, Juon and Skalkottas, with BBC Music Magazine and The Strad both awarding it five stars. Future discs in the series will focus on Prague and Budapest.

Trio Gaspard is regularly invited to major international concert halls including Berlin Philharmonie, Essen Philharmonie, Boulez Saal, Grafenegg Castle, Salle Molière Lyon and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Highlights of the 23–24 season include a residency at Wigmore Hall, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Uppsala Chamber Orchestra in Sweden and recitals at the prestigious series of the Amici Della Musica Firenze, Lucerne Chamber Music Society, Musik Theater Bern, Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Sage Gateshead and Heidelberger Frühling Festival.

Founded in 2010, the trio’s members hail from Germany, Greece and the UK. They studied at European Chamber Music Academy under Johannes Meissl (Artis Quartet), Ferenc Rados, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Jérôme Pernoo and Peter Cropper (Lindsay Quartet), as well as with Hatto Beyerle. They were Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Northern College of Music (2017–19) and won first and special prizes at the Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar, the International Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna and the International Chamber Music Competition in Illzach, France.

All musicians are also successfully pursuing their careers as soloists. 

Short biographies

Nicholas Rimmer | Piano

has already performed on renowned stages such as London’s Wigmore Hall, Munich’s Gasteig, Zurich’s Tonhalle and Berlin’s Philharmonie and as a soloist and chamber musician at renowned festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, Ludwigsburg, Grafenegg and Heidelberg. His CD recording with Nils Mönkemeyer was awarded the Echo Klassik in 2009, and his recording of Rihm’s complete works for violin and piano with Tianwa Yang received the Diapason d’Or, the Pizzicato Supersonic Award and the International Record Review ‘Outstanding’ Award. Rimmer studied piano at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover with Christopher Oakden. Since 2020, Rimmer has held a professorship in piano at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. He is a member of the Belli-Fischer-Rimmer trio in the unique and experimental instrumentation of trombone-percussion-piano.

Jonian Ilias Kadesha | Violin

is pursuing a successful career as a soloist and has already performed with renowned orchestras such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Russian State Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Sir András Schiff, the London Mozart Players and the Aurora Orchestra. He is keen to expand the standard repertoire and can be heard, for example, with the Skalkottas Violin Concerto, Hillborg’s Bach Materia or the world premiere of Giovanni Sollima’s Tyche. Kadesha studied at the Kronberg Academy with Antje Weithaas and is a laureate of international violin competitions. He is also a member of the Kelemen Quartet and co-founder of the Caerus Chamber Ensemble.

Vashti Hunter | Violoncello

enjoys a diverse career as a soloist and chamber musician, and is a regular guest at leading music festivals and concert halls concert halls such as the Wigmore Hall, the Rudolfinum Prague, the Salle Moliere Lyon, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Pierre Boulez Hall, among others. She studied in London and Hannover with Leonid Gorokhov and in Berlin with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt. A very important influence is cellist Steven Isserlis, with whom she studied for many years at IMS Prussia Cove. Vashti Hunter is now a professor herself at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz and teaches at the Hochschule für Musik und Medien in Hannover. Vashti Hunter is also a member of the renowned Kelemen Quartet.

Season 2023/2024 | Photos: Andrej Grilc | Quote: Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 2022
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 2 – Trio Gaspard

Haydn: The Complete Piano Trios, Vol. 1 – Trio Gaspard

Haydn: Trio in G Major XV:25, “Gypsy” III. Presto – Trio Gaspard

Beethoven, Turnage & Ravel – Debut @ Berlin Philharmonie

Schubert: Piano Trio in E-flat Major op. 100 – Trio Gaspard

B. A. Zimmermann: “Présence” Ballet blanc en cinq scènes – Trio Gaspard & Luka Fritsch