Interview with The 55 Strings Trio • Holiday in Paris

The Athena Foundation for the Arts has had the privilege of hosting maestro violinist Philip Vaiman for two outstanding concerts in 2023. One with internationally acclaimed pianist Mikhail Korzhev and the other with distinguished Cuban and Latin American classical guitarist Laura Mazon Franqui. Both concerts paired stunning imagery with each performance for an immersive memorable experience.

While curating the 2024 concert series, Philip came to me with an idea for a holiday concert: a violin trio with harp and cello, with his esteemed colleagues, harpist Ko-Ni Choi and cellist Simone Vitucci. I had never heard a combination of those instruments before. I was intrigued.

Philip envisioned a program of French composers to complement the instruments. The concert title literally flew out of my mouth, “A Holiday in Paris”! Philip loved the idea. I asked him for the name of his trio. Naturally, The 55 Strings Trio, as there are 55 strings between the harp, violin and cello. That sealed the deal for Athena’s 2024 Season Finale Holiday Concert.

Now, before each concert, we “break the ice” and introduce our guest musicians. Grab a comfy chair and your favorite fall beverage and enjoy the conversation.

Violinist Philip Vaiman

Philip Vaiman’s professional career has taken him to concert halls around the globe, premier recording studios and international festivals in Europe, America and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. Recipient of many prizes and awards, Mr. Vaiman has recorded and performed with a diverse roster of artists including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Taylor Swift, Tony Bennet and Pharrel Williams.

Harpist Ko-Ni Choi

Ko-Ni Choi is an award winning Korean-American harpist who has concertized extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia. She has been featured as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Hungarian Chamber Philharmonic and as a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, the Toronto Symphony and more. Choi has worked closely with renowned conductors and composers including Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach among others.

Cellist Simone Vitucci

Los Angeles based South African cellist Simone Vitucci has toured the world, playing a diverse repertoire from classical to jazz. She has played cello for rock and pop stars including Beyoncé, the Eagles, Burt Bacharach and Rod Stewart as well as recorded soundtracks for Hollywood movies and video games and appeared in commercials, television and radio shows.

I caught up with the musicians about the backstory of their Holiday in Paris concert. I’m excited to share the story with you.

LRW: Philip, Ko-Ni and Simone, it’s an honor to have your 55 Strings Trio perform The Athena Foundation for the Arts 2024 Season Finale. May I ask, how did you three meet?

PV: Thank you, Linda! We are excited to present a concert for the wonderful and highly-esteemed Athena Foundation for the Arts Concert Series.

I met Ko-Ni last year, as both of us were soloing with the South Bay Chamber Orchestra. I listened to Ko-Ni from the little speaker in my dressing room as I was warming up. Ko-Ni was already playing in the auditorium. I enjoyed Ko-Ni’s playing immensely. After the concert we talked about collaborating.

Simone and I played in a chamber setting on numerous occasions. I always appreciated her sensitivity and musicianship, wonderful qualities in a musician that are hard to come by nowadays. Later came an idea of adding Simone to our feature performances as she provides that gorgeous bass support and also “talks’’ to me when we are exchanging musical phrases.

LRW: Very cool, How did the trio concept of violin, harp and cello come about? Details, please.

PV: The concept came together very naturally as, in the way, it’s similar to the piano trio concept except here, the harp takes the place of the piano, completely fulfilling its role with additional advantages of having all three instruments being string instruments for a wonderful and unique blend.

LRW: Good points. For your upcoming Athena program, may I ask how you decided on the pieces curated for the concert? Why these composers? Why now?

PV: The idea of having a harp in the group inspired us to create a French program. Something about the sound of that instrument in this particular setting made it a very easy choice.

LRW: Nice. May I ask who did the arrangements?

PV: Thanks for asking. I would like to acknowledge a very special dear friend who is an enormously talented arranger/composer/cellist, Stefanie Fife, in creating this program. Stefanie single-handedly arranged ALL trio selections for this program.

Stefanie Fife

LRW: Wow! She’s a triple threat!

PV: Agreed. To answer your question, “Why now?”, the musical pieces we have selected are truly timeless with their beauty and serenity. It feels like during this end of the year- holiday season, it’s a gift to be able to slow down and have this tranquil and almost healing experience.

LRW: Music is a gift, especially its ability to transform the mood from hectic to tranquil. Can you please hint at the imagery selected? How did you decide which image to pair with each piece?

PV: Here is a hint: as we are presenting Fine music by Fine composers, arranged by a Fine arranger, expect nothing less than …….. Art images!:)))

LRW: Nice hint. The audience is in for a real treat. May I ask, do you happen to have plans to record your stunning trios and solos?

PV: Yes! We are in talks with the arranger and the recording engineer about recording this program, making it a full album. Hopefully it will happen in 2025 as we are all eager to make it happen!

LRW: Fantastic! When the album is released, perhaps we can arrange a blog interview announcing its debut! Before we end this delightful interview, we always like to ask our guest interviewees for a favorite quote by a composer or musician that you’d like to share with our readers.

Philip: This is my own personal quote.
“Music is the most primal and powerful way for people to express themselves.” ~ Philip Vaiman Share on X

Ko-Ni: My favorite quote is:
“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.” ~ Leonard Bernstein Share on X

Simone: Here’s my musical quote:

To learn more about these remarkable musicians, follow them on social media:
Philip Vaiman
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

Ko-Ni Choi
Junior Chamber Music
“Floating Bells” Performance
“Across the Stars” Performance

Simone Vitucci
Website
YouTube

We hope you enjoyed learning about these fantastic musicians. You’re welcome to 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, October 13, 2024

Time
Doors Open: 3:15 PM
Concert: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM PDT
Delicious Complimentary Refreshments

Place
Community Auditorium
Church of Scientology of the Valley
11455 Burbank Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 91601

Disclaimers:
•The concert is hosted exclusively by The Athena Foundation for the Arts.
•It is Not a church event.
•The Community Auditorium is rented to nonprofits and charitable organizations.
• If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email us. Thank you.

FREE Parking: Farmdale Avenue lot, Burbank Boulevard lot across the street and street parking

Tickets
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite here or scan the QR code at the door. Cash or Credit card payments also available.
Questions? Please feel free to email us. Hope you can join us!

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