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The Athena Foundation for the Arts is gearing up for our 2026 Season’s inaugural concert! It’s a pleasure and a privilege to have the Sords•Walz•Durkovic Trio, with maestro violinist Andrew Sords, cellist John Walz, and pianist Timothy Durkovic, open the concert season. For those who haven’t yet heard of these remarkable musicians, here’s a little background.
Internationally acclaimed violinist Andrew Sords tours with his trio and as a soloist with orchestras from Montreal to West Palm Beach, Palm Springs, and Los Angeles, and from Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew Sords, Violinist
Celebrated cellist John Walz has appeared as a soloist with more than 300 symphony orchestras on five continents and as a chamber music artist playing more than 900 concerts throughout North America and Europe.
John Walz, Cellist
Virtuoso pianist Timothy Durkovic is an active solist and chamber musician, collaborating regularly with some of the world’s finest orchestras, instrumentalists and vocalists from around the world.
Timothy Durkovic, Pianist
John Walz and Timothy Durkovic graced our stage back in our 2023 concert series with stellar violinist Jessica Guarderi. We are excited to have them back, this time with maestro violinist Andrew Sords for an all-Brahms Bonanza! I caught up with John to reveal a bit about the trio and their upcoming concert. So grab a comfy chair and your favorite beverage, and enjoy the conversation
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LRW: Andrew, John, and Timothy, it’s an honor to have your Sords•Walz•Durkovic Trio open The Athena Foundation for the Arts’ 2026 Concert Season! A special Thank You to John Walz for speaking with us on behalf of your trio about your fantastic program. But first, may I ask how you three met?
JW: Around 2010 (I think), I had played a couple of concerts with Tim and LA Phil Concertmaster Martin Chalifour. I was then (as now) a great admirer of Tim’s playing. A couple of years later, I met Andrew after a concert he had played in my hometown of Pasadena. And the following year, I got us together to play the Tchaikovsky Trio.
LRW: That’s great! So glad the stars aligned for you all to meet and collaborate on great music. As an ardent Brahms fan, I’m excited about your Brahms Bonanza. For our readers, may I ask how you selected the pieces for the concert? Why all Brahms? Why now?
Johannes Brahms
JW: We have been through huge chunks of the standard Trio repertoire. The one major trio we had not played together yet was the Brahms C Minor Trio, Op. 101. This is the least often played of his five piano trios. But it was a favorite of Clara Schumann.
LRW: We’re excited to hear you play the Trio in C Minor, Op. 101, especially learning that it was a favorite of Clara Schumann. Please go on.
JW: Timothy and I have played the E Minor sonata on many occasions, and I’ve recorded both Brahms Sonatas with Edith Orloff, my Pacific Trio partner of 52 years. Tim and Andrew often play the Sonatensatz at our concerts, so putting together an all Brahms Concert just seemed like a natural.
LRW: I’ll have to look for that recording. I’m a fan of pianist Edith Orloff, too. That Sonatensatz gets my heart pumping. An all Brahms Concert is a festival in itself. May I ask what questions you are frequently asked as musicians?
JW: As performing musicians, we are all asked frequently, “Who’s your favorite composer?” This question is, obviously, impossible to answer – but personally, I can answer that Brahms is my favorite composer to play. Not only does his music touch my soul and emotions, but there’s a physical satisfaction in playing Brahms that I don’t get from any other composer.
LRW: Understood. I couldn’t agree more. As an avid amateur pianist, nothing quite compares to playing Brahms. Regarding your artistic vision for this concert, could you please share a little bit about the imagery you selected? How did you decide which image to pair with each piece?
JW: As of now, we are still curating the images. We will get back to you on that! LRW: Can’t wait to hear about and experience the imagery you pair at your concert. Do you happen to have plans to record your stunning trios? JW: We don’t have any plans to record – though I would like to before I get too old…..
LRW: Thanks for letting us know. If you do, I’d be delighted to blog about it. Before we end this delightful interview, it’s a favorite tradition of ours to ask our guest interviewees for a favorite quote by a composer or musician to share with our readers. Do you happen to have one?
JW: This is more of an amusing story, but it fits for this occasion. One evening, Brahms was playing the E minor cello Sonata with a very mediocre cellist at a soiree. Apparently, as the piece went on, Brahms started playing louder and louder – causing the cellist to finally exclaim, “Maestro Brahms, I can’t hear myself.” To which Brahms replied, “You’re lucky, I still can!!”
LRW: Very amusing, indeed! I hadn’t heard that anecdote before. My piano students, as well as our readers, will no doubt enjoy the chuckle. Thanks for sharing. We’re looking forward to your fantastic concert!
To learn more about these maestros, visit their website and follow them on social media.
Timothy Durkovic
Website
Facebook
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Join us at the concert and meet them in person. Here are the concert details. Hope to see you then!
CONCERT DETAILS:
Program Link
Date Sunday, February 22, 2026
Time
Doors Open: 3:30 PM
Concert: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM PDT
Delicious Complimentary Refreshments
Place
Community Auditorium Church of Scientology of the Valley
11455 Burbank Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
Disclaimers:
•The concert is hosted exclusively by The Athena Foundation for the Arts.
•It is not a church-sponsored event.
•The Community Auditorium is rented to nonprofits and charitable organizations.
•Please feel free to email us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.
FREE Parking: Farmdale Avenue lot and Burbank Boulevard lot across the street, and street parking Tickets Purchase tickets on Eventbrite or scan the QR code at the door. Cash or Credit card payments are also available.
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I missed the previous concert with Tim, so looking forward to finally hearing him in this fantastic trio playing Brahms!
So glad you’ll be able to attend. It’s an outstanding lineup, for sure!