Leopold String Trio - Biography

Leopold String Trio received support from BBT between 2004 and 2008.  Following several years of great success, the trio decided to end on a high and disbanded in 2012.

Isabelle van Keulen violin
Lawrence Power viola
Kate Gould cello

The Leopold String Trio is firmly established at the forefront of the international chamber music scene. They were selected for the inaugural BBC New Generation Artists scheme and in 2005 won the Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Ensemble Award. The Trio’s latest major project was a complete cycle of Beethoven’s String Trios, performed at the Wigmore Hall and filmed live by Plush Music. These films are available for download via their website. In 2004 the trio were the recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Award which they used to help mount ‘Leopold String Trio: The Series’, a three year cycle of concerts at the Wigmore Hall in London and Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton. The Series, which ran from 2005 to 2008, consisted of six pairs of concerts linked by various themes, expressing the scope and versatility of the string trio repertoire. Many of the programmes included guest artists such as pianists Pascal Rogé, Marc-André Hamelin and Paul Lewis, cellist Natalie Klein, and oboist Nick Daniel. They are frequent visitors to the world’s major venues and festivals Their repertoire reflects a desire to seek out and pioneer lesser-known masterpieces as well as a strong interest in contemporary music. They have given the UK premieres of Kurtag’s “Signs, Games and Messages”, Henze’s String Trio, and the world premieres of David Matthews’s Second String Trio and a trio by Judith Bingham. Their recordings for Hyperion Records have all been greeted with outstanding reviews and nominations for awards, most recently a Gramophone Award nomination for the Brahms Piano Quartets. The Trio’s latest recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations for Hyperion was released in June 2011. In 2009 the ‘Friends of the Leopold String Trio’ was formed, which supports projects such as new commissions and an annual masterclass for young chamber ensembles.

All three members of the Trio enjoy a varied musical life away from the ensemble. Isabelle van Keulen and Lawrence Power are much in demand as soloists and have worked with most of the major European orchestras as well as in North America, the Far East and Australia. Isabelle also works as director-soloist with various chamber orchestras world-wide. Lawrence is a member of the Nash Ensemble and was the first British winner of The William Primrose International Viola Competition in Canada. Kate Gould plays as guest principal cellist of the English Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. All three members give many recitals with their respective duo partners.

Last updated: July 2011

Being chosen for a BB Trust Award was an honour and we are very grateful for the feeling of support and recognition that it is giving us as we work together on various projects. The production of the CD Rom for all the 2004 winners is an incredible testament to the Trust’s devotion and enthusiasm towards furthering the careers of their artists. Most significantly, it has encouraged us to address the future and find a sense of where we are and where we want to go, as a group. The award was a spring board for the idea of putting on a series to stretch over the next three years, and the BB Trust’s backing has enabled us to step out and create this with confidence. It is all too easy to keep reacting to offers year after year, rather than making our own path and keeping in touch our own ideals. We feel privileged to be in this position and determined to make the most of it! We are also using the award to work on our general publicity, including a website, thus sustaining and perpetuating the life of the Trio.

Photographs by Benjamin Ealovega