On Friday, April 18, High Desert Chamber Music’s 17th season will conclude by presenting the Neave Trio, who will be once again returning to Bend! I had the opportunity to speak with Anna Marie Williams, violinist of the Neave Trio, about her musical journey and the trio’s love for artistic collaboration.
Anna grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, and she was drawn to the violin from an early age. “The violin’s vocal and expressive qualities always captivated me, even before I had the words to describe it.” Anna mentioned that part of her journey with the violin was a result of an experience with a speech impediment. After a particularly discouraging session with a speech pathologist, her mother was determined to help her find a more positive outlet. Recalling that she had been inquiring about violin, they went straight to the local music school and found Anna a violin teacher!
Anna always loved playing music, even though like most kids practicing wasn’t always the most appealing thing, but wasn’t sure what that would translate into later in life. “Becoming a ‘professional’ musician seemed like such a wild dream to me at the time — whatever that even meant.” Fast forward to the first day of graduate school where she met Misha (cellist of the Neave Trio). Anna said, “Our shared musical vision and connection quickly developed, and soon after, we were joined by our pianist, Eri, completing the Neave Trio.” The name of the trio was inspired by the daughter of a friend who had been paralyzed. “We played music at his bedside for him during that difficult time, and Neave was chosen in honor of his memory.” Much later on, they learned that neave is also a Gaelic word, meaning bright or radiant.
Anna and the Neave trio are particularly passionate about collaboration across different artistic disciplines. Anna told me that, “it allows for a fusion of ideas, emotions, and perspectives that make the final creation something far greater than what any individual could achieve alone. It also allows for a greater window through which an audience can enter the work – those who are more visual can “see the music”, and for those who are more drawn to the sound world, they can almost “hear the dance”, as it were.” One such collaboration was Robert Paterson’s Summit triple concerto which draws attention to climate change. The piece has many heartfelt and beautiful melodies and lots of birdsong. Another collaboration they engaged in was with PigeonWing Dance and composer Robert Sirota. The piece, called “Rising,” touches on social and environmental issues of our time. In fact, Anna told me, “we gave a special performance for oceanographers who were left in tears, as they were profoundly moved by the message and integrity they felt the piece displayed on the topic of rising sea levels and our collective response to it.”
Please join us on Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm at the Uniterian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon for a lush program of Mel Bonis, Clara Schumann, and Bedrich Smetana. There will be a concert preview at 6:45pm. This concert is brought to you by Drew Family Dentistry. Tickets are available through High Desert Chamber Music by phone or online.