Helen Vidovich - flute, Olga Stezhko - piano, Val Welbanks - cello
The Marsyas Trio’s position as one of the UK's foremost mixed chamber ensembles equips the group with a unique musical outlook.
For over a decade , the Marsyas Trio has been championing the vast body of repertoire for flute, cello and piano, and instrumental combination which originated in the Classical era with Haydn and Clementi.
The medium continued to evolve in tandem with the progress of instrument making, to the modern day where the musical possibilities have never been greater. The Trio continues to develop this tradition through commissioning, and through our commitment to presenting a balanced range of works by historic and living composers, offering audiences an interesting perspective on gender, societal and political themes.
The Marsyas Trio are the current Artists By-Fellows at Churchill College, University of Cambridge and were FUAM Ensemble in Residence at the University of Leeds in 2024-25.
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The Marsyas Trio is delighted to have been awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Thea Musgrave Performance Grant in October 2025.
In collaboration with award-winning mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, they will create a series of events celebrating Thea’s remarkable catalogue of works.
The Trio’s Thea Musgrave Day will take place at the University of Leeds, working side by side with its students to engage the next generation of music-makers with Thea’s compositions, including Chamber Concerto No. 2, Aria, Primavera, Taking Turns and Orfeo V.
The ensemble - together and individually - plans to feature Thea’s works in their concert programming from 2026 to 2028, including a tour of Scottish music societies and visits to other universities, where they aim to emulate the inaugural Thea Musgrave Day.
Read the full announcement here
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WHAT IS THE FLUTE-CELLO-PIANO TRIO?
The excerpts from the Marsyas Trio’s pre-concert talk about the classical origins and evolution of the flute-cello-piano trio alongside the progress of instrument making.
Clothworkers Hall, School of Music, University of Leeds, February 2024
“The persuasive assurance of these performers is consistently of the highest calibre. ”
“Thanks to the sensitive and musical playing of pianist Olga Stezhko…we were able to enjoy the ravishing sound of Helen Vidovich’s flute in its lowest register and the velvet tone of Val Welbanks’ cello, as well as the subtle contrast and interplay between the three instruments. The varied programme showed off to perfection the possibilities of this combination.”