Trio Jean Paul

Eckart Heiligers, piano
Ulf Schneider, violin
Martin Löhr, cello

(Rondo-magazine: July 16, 2005)

The Trio Jean Paul, founded in 1991, is one of today's most distinguished chamber music ensembles and a popular guest at the international concert venues.

By naming their ensemble after the author Jean Paul, the three musicians not only refer to their special affinity for the works of Robert Schumann, but also to the fundamental artistic idea of making the music's speech-like and rhetorical elements to the point of departure for their interpretations. This approach draws a bow from the works of the Classical period, via the Romantic idea of "poetic music" to the music of today. An important area of the Trio's work is therefore its occupation with the contemporary repertoire as numerous world premieres by famous composers such as Brett Dean, Martin Christoph Redel, Kee Yong Chong, Michael Denhoff, Gordon Kerry, Volker David Kirchner und Albrecht Gürsching show.

Among the highlights of the season 2007/08 are concerts at concert house Vienna, at "Philharmonie" Berlin and Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, at "Glocke" Bremen as well as for the "Heidelberger Frühling" and others. In April, the Trio Jean Paul will play two concerts in the renowned series "Liceo de Cámara" in Madrid, which they dedicate to Haydn and Beethoven in combination with works by contemporary composers.

After First Prizes at the international competitions in Osaka (1993), Melbourne (1995), and at the German Music Competition, an extensive concert career has developed which has led the ensemble on a regular basis to major musical centers such as New York, London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, as well as on tours to Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South-America, and the USA. Master classes and performances at international festivals (e. g. Schleswig-Holstein, Kissinger Sommer, Ludwigsburger Festspiele, Schubertiade Feldkirch, Rheingau Festival, Lucerne Festival, Kuhmo, Edinburgh Festival) add to the multifarious artistic work of the Trio.

Besides an intensive collaboration with Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet), impulses from other eminent musicians, including Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Sir Roger Norrington, were decisive for the ensemble's artistic development.

The CD with Brahms' Trio B major (version 1854) and Schönberg's "Verklärte Nacht" (adaptation for piano trio by Eduard Steuermann 1931/32), published in 2005, has been honoured with the "Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik".
In October 2007, the Trio Jean Paul made a concert tour through several cities in the USA and Canada, which was highly acclaimed by audience and press. At four concerts altogether, the Trio presented works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Schostakowitsch.

Short biographies

Eckart Heiligers, piano

Born in Kleve in 1964. Studied with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling in Hannover, and Leon Fleisher in Baltimore, USA.
Scholarship holder of the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes" (Academic Foundation of the German People), the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and of the German Music Competition. France Graage Performance Scholarship.
Multiple laureate at international competitions, for example in Vercelli, Athens, Salt Lake City, and Oslo. Worldwide concert performances as soloist, chamber musician, and lied accompanist.
He holds a professorship in piano and chamber music at the Musikhochschule Zurich.
Masterclasses at home and abroad. Judge at international music competitions.

Ulf Schneider, violin

Born in Braunschweig in 1968. Studied with Jens Ellermann in Hannover, with Felix Galimir and Masao Kawasaki at Juilliard School New York, as well as with Thomas Zehetmair at the "Hochschule der Künste" (Academy of Arts) in Berlin.
Scholarship holder of the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes" (Academic Foundation of the German people) and of the "Stiftung Niedersachsen" (Lower Saxony Foundation).
First prize at the Academy Competition in Berlin (1993), City of Kassel Arts Prize (1996). Multifaceted concert performances as soloist and as chamber musician. CD-releases for Ars Musici and ECM.
He holds a professorship at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover. Professor of numerous master classes and judge at international music competitions.

Martin Löhr, cello

Born in Hamburg in 1967. Studied with Wolfgang Mehlhorn in Hamburg, with Zara Nelson at Juilliard School in New York, and with Wolfgang Boettcher at the "Hochschule der Künste" (Academy of Arts) in Berlin.
Scholarship holder of the "Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes" (Academic Foundation of the German People), Masefield Scholarship. Federal choice "Konzerte junger Künstler" (Concerts of young artists). Subsidy award of the "Mozartgesellschaft" Wiesbaden.
First prize in the "Jeunesses Musicales" international cello competition in Belgrade (1995).
Worldwide concert performances as soloist, and chamber musician. Solo cellist of the Berlin Philharmonics.
Professorship at the "Hochschule der Künste", Berlin, and classes at the "Herbert-von-Karajan-Academy". Professor of masterclasses at home and abroad.

www.triojeanpaul.de