PEN Trio to Perform, Give Master Class at UT April 15

The PEN Trio, which has been praised for bringing “a new energy and fresh approach to the reed trio,” will give a concert on Monday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Salon in Plant Hall on The University of Tampa campus. The trio will also give a master class from 2:30–3:30 p.m. in Room 96 of the Ferman Music Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

The PEN Trio, which derives its name from the first initial of each member, is Phillip O. Paglialonga, clarinet; Eric Van der Veer Varner, bassoon; and Nora Lewis, oboe. During the concert, the trio will perform a program featuring works by M. Shawn Hundley and Henri Tomasi.

The PEN Trio was established in 2010 to explore and expand the repertoire for the traditional trio d’anches. French for “reed trio,” a trio d'anches is an ensemble of oboe, clarinet and bassoon and is considered the most important chamber music ensemble for three woodwinds.

The PEN Trio has appeared throughout North America, including several leading universities. Recent highlights include featured performances on Alabama Public Radio and Michigan Public Radio, performances at the 40th International Double Reed Society Conference and the 2011 College Music Society National Conference, and the world premiere of In Threes at Radford University by composer M. Shawn Hundley.

Paglialonga is an assistant professor of clarinet at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, FL, where he was recently awarded the Bethune-Cookman University Excellence in University and Community Service award. He has appeared with numerous orchestras and is a member of the Walt Disney World Orchestra.

Varner is the principal bassoonist in the Windsor Symphony Orchestra in Ontario and is on the faculty of Heidelberg University as well as the University of Windsor. He has spent 14 summers working at the Interlochen Center for the Arts as the assistant director of the high school boys division.

Lewis is an assistant professor of music at Kansas State University where she teaches oboe, undergraduate and graduate courses in music history and literature, and directs the Double Reed Ensemble. In addition to the PEN Trio, she is oboist in the Konza Winds faculty quintet. During the summer she teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Traster, director of bands, winds and percussion, at jtraster@ut.edu or (813) 257-3527.