Internationally known group returns to Auer Hall

Forty-nine summers ago, as the newly formed Beaux Arts Trio made its public debut at the Berkshire Music Festival, which is now the Tanglewood Music Festival, pianist Menahem Pressler had no idea he would still be performing with the same ensemble nearly half a century later.\n"I expected (the group) to last a week to make a record," Pressler said.\nThe week Pressler anticipated the group staying together multiplied into decades. The group has recorded an impressive discography covering the entire piano trio repertoire and made innumerable concert appearances all over the world.\nThe Beaux Arts Trio, which will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Auer Hall at the IU School of Music, has earned an international name for itself. It has participated in many high-profile events including the centenary celebration of Carnegie Hall and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The late President Ronald Reagan honored the group at the commemoration of its 30th anniversary, and the Library of Congress named the group Congress' first trio-in-residence in 1982. It has been enthusiastically lauded by the press -- the recent addition of violinist Daniel Hope prompted attention from The Washington Post, which declared that "The Beaux Arts Trio has retained its almost utopian level of music-making."\nThis week, the music school is again hosting the trio as a part of its annual Summer Music Festival.\n"We're very excited to have them here," said Interim Marketing and Publicity Director Alain Barker.\nThe Beaux Arts Trio has had a long term relationship with the music school. Group members have associated with the IU since the school's inception. Two group members -- Pressler and the trio's original violinist Daniel Guilet -- have been full-time members of the music faculty. The group has been IU's resident trio during the summer.\nThe group has undergone a lot of changes over the past 49 years. These days Pressler is the sole founding member remaining in the group. The other members, British violinist Hope and Brazilian cellist Antonio Meneses, have replaced other members over the years. \n"I am very fortunate to have these guys," Pressler said of his current partners.\nBoth of its newer members enjoyed successful solo careers before joining the group. Hope, who joined the ensemble in 2002 and is the group's youngest ever, previously worked under the wing of maestro Yehudi Menuhin. Meneses joined the group in 1998 and used to work with orchestras worldwide.\nThe trio, which normally performs at the Musical Arts Center, will hold their concerts at Auer Hall this summer, allowing for a an atmosphere more appropriate for chamber music.\n"(Auer Hall) is exceptional for its intimacy," Barker said. "It will be a unique experience for the Bloomington community -- one of the positive results of the move from the MAC."\n--Contact staff writer Eric Anderson at eraander@indiana.edu.