Morgenstern Trio

Biography

Catherine Klipfel, piano
Stefan Hempel, violin
Emanuel Wehse, cello

"The Morgenstern Trio gave a smashing debut Thursday evening at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. In works by Ravel, Bernstein and Brahms, the group displayed a unanimity, polished technique and musical imagination that I thought had vanished from the scene with the demise of the Beaux Arts Trio" —Washington Post

Named after the popular nineteenth century German poet Christian Morgenstern, the Morgenstern Trio was formed in 2005, while Catherine Klipfel, Stefan Hempel, and Emanuel Wehse, were students at the Folkwang Conservatory in Essen, Germany. After only a few short years of working together, the Morgenstern Trio emerged on the German music scene by being awarded top prizes and awards, such as first prize at the International Joseph Haydn Competition in Vienna, followed by two second prizes: at the Fifth Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and the prestigious "ARD Competition in Munich", where they also received the audience prize.

In 2010, the Morgenstern Trio won the prestigious Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Award in the USA. This prize catapulted them onto the music scene in the USA with performances in Washington, DC's Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall and other venues in NY, followed by concerts in such cities as Chicago, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Carmel, Louisville, Lexington, to Palm Beach, where they received superlative reviews and immediate re-invitations for following seasons.

The Morgenstern Trio was also selected by the ECHO (the European Concert Hall Organization) as a "Rising Star" which gave them debut concerts at important European concert venues during the 2009-2010 season, in cities such as Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Cologne, Brussels, Birmingham and Stockholm to name a few.

The summer of 2014 marked the inauguration of their own Morgenstern Festival in Germany offering eclectic programs with guest artists. Other festival appearances include the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, France, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Heidelberger Fruehling, the WDR Musikfest and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland.

The trio’s mentors, such as the Alban Berg Quartet and Menahem Pressler have given them invaluable coaching and musical insight. The Morgenstern Trio was named "ensemble in residence" at their alma mater, the Folkwang Conservatory.

July 2023. Please discard any previously dated materials.