Joe Trio to takes stage in Merritt
A violin, cello and piano make up a common chamber music ensemble called a ‘Piano Trio,’ but it is the comedy that will set Joe Trio apart when they arrive in Merritt tomorrow (Friday).
Approximately 50 per cent of the show is classical music, 30 per cent jazz and rock, while the rest consists of an often funny and whacky story.
This makes the group a trio in more than once sense of the word.
Evidence of turning the classical instruments into a contemporary show is revealed when the trio transforms “The Simpsons” theme song into a medley of quotations from popular symphonic masterpieces to create what is called D’eau a Simpsymphony.
“The mandate has always been to bring classical music to the masses, but in a way that was friendly,” said violinist Cameron Wilson, noting most people often oppose listening to classical music. “A lot of people think of classical music and then turn their back on it.”
CBC hasn’t turned its back on the group and has even touted the trio for having a “concert attitude and concert hall grace.”
The Vancouver Sun labeled Joe Trio as being “a new breed of classically trained musicians; talented, intensely musical, and unhindered by old fashioned ideas about what constitutes acceptable repertoire.”
With the goal of creating an offbeat digestible composition, the group aims to entertain those who gather at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
“People respond to what we’re doing because they don’t feel threatened,” Wilson said. “It’s not too highbrow, but highbrow enough so we respect the music we’re playing and give a high-quality product.”
Wilson will be joined there with pianist Allen Stiles and cellist Charles Inkman.
Stiles and Wilson met while attending school together in Vancouver.
“Allen and I went to the same program at UBC,” Wilson said, noting the pair graduated with music degrees in 1989. “We then started a band the year after graduating.”
With the duo covering the piano and violin, they needed a cellist for the final piece to the piano trio.
“We’ve kind of been like how ‘Spinal Tap’ was with drummers,” he explained. “But the guy we’re with now has been with us for a while. He’s kind of like the foil to Allen and I.”
The trio released their newest CD “Cold Cuts” last summer and copies will be available at the show.
Whether you attend for the music or comedy, the trio are prepared to leave the audience with an offbeat and breath-taking concoction.
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