Morgenstern Trio
Catherine Klipfel, Piano
Stefan Hempel, Violin
Emanuel Wehse, Cello
To name a piano trio after the popular 19th-century German poet Christian Morgenstern
was the inspiration of pianist Catherine Klipfel, violinist Stefan Hempel, and cellist
Emanuel Wehse, who met during their studies at the Folkwang Conservatory in Essen,
Germany.
After only two short years of working together, the Morgenstern Trio emerged on the German
music scene with many top prizes and awards. In January 2010, the
Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Award selected the Morgenstern Trio for the most
prestigious piano trio prize in the US, which comes with 20 major debuts. In 2007, the trio
won first prize at the International Joseph Haydn Competition in Vienna, followed by second
prizes at the Fifth Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and the prestigious
ARD Competition in Munich, where it also received the audience prize. The previous year,
the trio won the competitive scholarship of the German Music Competition, and most recently
was named ensemble-in-residence at the trio's alma mater, the Folkwang Conservatory.
Germany's national program for young musicians and the Best of NRW Concert Series have
provided the Morgenstern Trio with many performance opportunities, including numerous
concerts across Germany and live radio appearances to showcase its consummate musicianship.
The trio has performed at such prestigious festivals as the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades
(France), the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Heidelberger Frühling, the WDR
Musikfest, and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. The trio's debut CD-a live
recording released in 2008 that features works by Beethoven and Brahms-has received
critical acclaim.
For the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the Morgenstern Trio was selected by ECHO (the European
Concert Hall Organization) for its Rising Stars Series, and made its debut on important
European stages in Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Cologne, Brussels, Birmingham, and Stockholm,
among other cities. The renowned Alban Berg and Menahem Pressler quartets have given the
Morgenstern Trio invaluable coaching and musical insight.