September marks the 40th season for Newtown Friends of Music. Since 1978, NFM has presented 210 live classical chamber concerts on the stage at Edmond Town Hall. Its mission has been to enlighten, entertain, enchant, and lift the spirits of all who attend, by hosting world-renowned musicians who deliver "exquisite music - superbly performed."

On Sunday, September 10, Claremont Trio will perform works by Haydn, Smetana, and Mendelssohn. The box office opens at 2 pm; and the concert starts at 3. Tickets are $25 (cash or check only) and students may attend for free.

Widely regarded as the premier piano trio of its generation, the Claremont is sought after for its thrillingly virtuosic and richly communicative performances. First winners of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and the only piano trio to ever win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Claremont is consistently lauded for its "aesthetic maturity, interpretive depth, and exuberance" (Palm Beach Daily News).

Twin sisters Emily Bruskin (violin) and Julia Bruskin (cello) grew up in Cambridge, Mass., and they both play old French instruments. Emily's violin is a Lupot from 1795; Julia's cello is a J.B. Vuillaume from 1849. Andrea Lam (piano) grew up in Sydney, Australia. The three met when they were students at Juilliard; the trio was formed in 1999.

The trio is now based in New York City near its namesake, Claremont Avenue.

The trio continues to maintain a strong New York presence, with frequent performances at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, Columbia University's Miller Theatre, Music Mondays, and Symphony Space, as well as the downtown venues of Joe's Pub and Le Poisson Rouge. Claremont also appears regularly at festivals such as Ravinia, Saratoga, Mostly Mozart, Caramoor, Rockport, Bard, and Norfolk.

Deeply committed to expanding the repertoire for trios, Claremont's members work actively with composers on new works. They have commissioned new trios by Nico Muhly, Gabriela Lena Frank, Mason Bates, Sean Shepherd, Helen Grime, Judd Greenstein, Donald Crockett, Robert Paterson, Paul Chihara, Sharon Farber, Howard Frazin, Daniel Kellogg, and Hillary Zipper, and have an ongoing collaboration with innovative composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain.

Tickets ($25) are available at the Edmond Town Hall box office after 2 pm the day of the concert. The performance will be followed by a reception, offering concertgoers an opportunity to meet and mingle with the musicians.

Parking is free behind Edmond Town Hall, and the facility is handicap accessible.

Tickets for an October 15 concert, a performance by the Daedalus and Brentano string quartets, will be available as well.

For information regarding these two farewell concerts, visit newtownfriendsofmusic.org or call 203-426-6470.

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