Anhared Stowe, violin Peter Zay, cello David Ballena, piano
About New World
The New World Trio had its origins in 1985, when founder Anhared Stowe presented a chamber music program in an out-of-the-way chapel. Not many patrons showed up, but those who did were enthusiastic “We have to get you a venue!” said one, and he proceeded to do just that. The next season, he presided over New World, and it became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The ensemble was on its way. Those first years identified NWT as an innovative group that combined a variety of formats and compositions. In the process, it built up a dedicated group of listeners who have sustained it for decades.
Today, wide-ranging presentations of both classical and contemporary chamber music works are performed with consummate artistry. The ensemble serves two goals: inspiring its audiences with established masterpieces and educating them about the valuable literature that is seldom heard elsewhere. New World “…likes to present surprising juxtapositions...” says the New York Times. Alongside the established repertoire, the group has played scores of contemporary and commissioned works, many of which have had the composer present for commentary. Audiences have been delighted to discover how enjoyable these pieces are, and how readily they integrate thematically with traditional works. NWT was among the very first to engage twenty-first century composers and was hailed as “…an Exemplar…” by Chamber Music America.
New World has held residencies at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, The Hartt School, the Warner Theatre in Torrington, and St John’s Episcopal Church. In addition, the ensemble has performed throughout the Greater Hartford area at the Wadsworth Atheneum, Centennial Theater, TheaterWorks building, Trinity College, and Wesleyan University. Outreach programs have included many of the area’s universities, schools, museums, libraries, and retirement communities.
Perhaps surprisingly, the other venue was radio. Early on, WNPR was heavily involved with classical music, and they recorded every concert that New World gave during a seven-year time span. Several of these performances were aired on WNPR’s “Best of Connecticut Concert Hall Live” program.
The group also gives concerts out of the Greater Hartford area. NWT has been featured at the Conanicut Island (RI) Chamber Music Festival, the Emily Dickinson Homestead, Wesleyan University, Rhode Island College, and Connecticut College. New World was also among a select group of ensembles chosen to present new music at a composer-curated event in Boston, Ma. that the Boston Globe called “…Stunning.”
The critical acclaim that New World has earned has helped NWT to establish a reputation for excellence for individual virtuosity as well as providing the listener with a distinctive, elegant, and engaging interplay between its musicians. “…the New World made abundantly clear the first rule of chamber music: the power of the whole surpassing the sum of the parts. Well-matched, together and balanced, the New World handled the tricky ensemble issues with aplomb.” - The Hartford Courant
It is this tradition of excellence that explains the enthusiastic audience response to the group, and the grants and support that it has enjoyed from the area’s arts commissions and foundations. This has been its legacy for over thirty years - something that no other Hartford area chamber ensemble can claim.