May Gallery presents Classic Series with Trio Bohémo in Beaver Creek
After delivering the inspiring sounds of Grammy-winning and internationally renowned bass player Richard Bona, the May Gallery Series continues with its Classic Series, featuring Trio Bohémo.
Pianist Jan Vojtek, violinist Matous Peruska and cello player Kristina Vocetkova formed their trio in 2019. The musicians had played together in various duo formations, but when they performed all together, they decided to “drop everything else” and focus solely on the trio, Vojtek said.
“There was an instant human connection and also a musical one. The musical connection was profound from the first moment,” he said. “We were on the same wavelength, personally with life values, and we were having fun being around each other. The first thing we did as a trio is move in together.”
While they still share a living space in Prague, where they rehearse between tours about 10 to 12 days a month, Vojtek also lives with his girlfriend in Budapest.
The trio quickly earned plenty of accolades, including second prize at the Gianni Bergamo Award in Lugano, Switzerland, and Ensemble of the Year in 2021 from the Le Dimore del Quartetto network. They’ve garnered several special prizes at the ISA Festival in Austria and first at the International Filippo Nicosia Award in Italy. Since then, they’ve collected a stack of prizes, including the prestigious prize of the Czech Chamber Music Society.
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Vojtek credits much of their success to their excellent mentors from the European Chamber Music Academy, of which they were members from 2020-22. He also attributes it to their true pleasure in performing together.
“What we feel and what the audience also feels is the joy — just playing together and playing for the people,” he said.
Wednesday evening’s program features Dvorak’s Piano Trio in E Minor, op. 90 “Dumky”; Haydn’s Piano Trio in C Major, Hob.XV:27; Rejcha’s Piano Trio No. 2 in D Minor, op. 101; and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 “Carneval de Pest.”
They feel a strong connection to all of the works and chose them “because it’s something that the audience for sure hasn’t heard yet,” he said.
In 2023, they received first prize for the best interpretation of Haydn, as well as the audience prize at the International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna.
“The Haydn trio connects to our years at the European Chamber Music Academy. It is the base of all piano trios — he was kind of the founder of the piano trio style,” he said.
Rejcha is a Czech composer who’s quite unknown, he said, which is why the trio decided to perform his work. As a contemporary of Beethoven, he composed six piano trios, which Trio Bohémo will record this year.
Finally, Liszt is “a memento of our years in Budapest,” where they originally performed as various duos, Vojtek said.
This will be the trio’s first time performing in Colorado; they’ve only had layovers at Denver International Airport, where they loved the views, he said. “Everywhere we went in the U.S., someone told us, ‘Oh, you have to go to Colorado. It is so beautiful.’ We are really looking forward to being in Colorado,” he said. “We hope the audience likes (the program). I can tell you that we will have a quite surprising encore if they do.”
- What: Trio Bohémo
- When: 6 p.m. Jan. 15
- Where: May Gallery, Vilar Performing Arts Center
- Tickets: $84.75 general admission; $33.90 for students 22 and younger
- More info: