Return of Eroica

When: Oct. 2
Where: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, 651-292-3268

Celebrating a twentieth anniversary is a notable milestone in anyone’s career, but it’s particularly poignant for one of classical music’s most successful female groups. The Eroica Trio busted through chamber music’s glass ceiling in the 1990s and has stayed at the top, despite the danger that its fashionable novelty—happening to look as good as the music sounds—might one day wear off. The fact that it hasn’t is a testament to the trio’s endurance as true artists, not glamorous flashes in the pan.

In what has been traditionally a male-dominated field, Eroica is one of the first all-female chamber ensembles to perform at the major houses, get a great recording contract, and land on Billboard Top 20 charts for two of their recordings. A Grammy has eluded them, although they have received multiple nominations. But even if that Holy Grail hasn’t been achieved, other cups have overflowed with praise—Grand Marnier created a new cocktail dubbed “The Eroica,” which was unveiled for the release of the group’s Pasión recording, and Chateau Sainte Michelle named one of its vintage rieslings in Eroica’s honor.

Although it’s too late to ask Bruce Carlson what inspired him to book the Eroica Trio to open the Schubert Club’s 125th anniversary season (Carlson, who directed The Schubert Club for thirty-eight years, died last summer from leukemia), the possible reasons are numerous. Featuring Erika Nickrenz on piano, Susie Park on violin (who recently replaced longtime trio member Adela Peña), and Sara Sant’Ambrogio on cello, the trio is known for its passion, flawless technique, ability to connect with its audience, and, yes, the members’ elegant looks. Eroica’s chops land the group features in Gramophone and Fanfare, and the women’s beauty gets them coverage in Elle and Glamour.

The trio’s biggest break was opening the Distinctive Debut Series as official representatives of New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1997. Shortly thereafter, in 1998, the trio made its first appearance with The Schubert Club, playing chamber trios by Mozart and Schubert, as well as Paul Schoenfield’s Café Music.

At presstime, the program for Eroica’s October appearance in the Twin Cities had not been set, but the ensemble’s programming is typically a balance of classical staples and engaging new works. Given that the ensemble’s twentieth-anniversary tour coincides with the release of its eighth CD, audiences might get a taste of its all-American repertoire—perhaps even its newly commissioned arrangement of tunes from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.