Inspired by the mythological legend that tells of
Marsyas, a celebrated piper,
who dared compete with Apollo, the God of the lyre,
in a musical contest.
Marsyas played his flute so harmoniously that Apollo, in a passion, proved pitiless and made him perish.
In his death, Marsyas saved his last breath
for the instrument he immortalised.
- preface to Robert Bariller's 'Le martyr de Marsyas'

Australian flautist Helen Vidovich, Canadian cellist Valerie Welbanks and New Zealander pianist Fei Ren met as postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They formed the Marsyas Trio in November 2008 following the completion of each of their degrees. The trio is devoted to the promotion of music written for flute, cello and piano - their extensive and varied list of repertoire can be viewed on the 'Repertoire' page.

Since 2009, the Marsyas Trio has regularly performed recitals throughout London, most recently at St Martin-in-the-Fields. The trio was heard last year at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, where they were awarded the Young Aspiration Award for their collaboration with DramaExport. They also appeared on Bulgarian National Television, Classic FM radio and were recorded by the Bulgarian National Radio. Last summer the ensemble performed a recital as part of the Lake District Summer Music Festival. They also undertook studies at the LDSM Academy with members of the Chilingirian Quartet, Skampa Quartet, and chamber musicians Carol Presland and Renna Kellaway thanks to generous donations. Recently, the trio was invited to take part in the Chamber Studio masterclass series at Kings Place, London, thanks to the support of the Richard Carne Trust. Future engagements in 2011 & 2012 can be viewed on the 'Concerts' page.

The Marsyas Trio currently undertakes coaching with Michael Cox of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and with pianist Carole Presland. The trio is in the process of commissioning of a work by Elena Firsova with the generous help of the PRS for Music Foundation, and will soon be recording a CD of her chamber works. In addition, a new work is being written for the trio by Laura Bowler. The trio is represented in Central and Eastern Europe by DramaExport.