Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2022 A free spring concert! Trio Gaia, a professional piano trio in residence at the New England Conservatory, performs at Saugus Public Library on Sunday (Editor’s Note: The following info is from a press release issued by the Saugus Public Library.) Join us for a free classical music to help usher in spring! Trio Gaia — the newest Professional Trio-in-Residence at the New England Conservatory (NEC) — will perform this Sunday (April 10) at 1 p. m. in the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library at 295 Central St. Trio Gaia is dedicated to offering audiences dynamic, personally relevant experiences inside and outside the concert hall. Recently, the trio won second prize in the 2021 Chamber Music in Yellow Springs Competition and were awarded the Vianello Family Audience Prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Prior to serving as trio-in-residence, Trio Gaia served as an Honors Ensemble and Community Performances & Partnership fellows at NEC, in recognition of their work sharing classical music in the community. They have presented concerts at venues ranging from the historic Boston Public Library to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have crafted educational content for the Panama Jazz Festival as well as local schools and senior homes. Trio Gaia was invited to Carnegie Hall’s Audience Engagement Intensive — presented in collaboration with Ensemble Connect — which allowed the trio to reach audiences across New York City with accessible, interactive performances. Recent engagements, both in-person and virtual, have included performances for Music for Food, NEC’s Black Student Union, Boston’s outdoor Experience Chinatown!, Massachusetts Peace Action and Opus Illuminate, a concert series dedicated to showcasing music by composers underrepresented in classical music. The 2021-22 season will include recitals in New Hampshire and Boston, including the trio’s annual Jordan Hall recital, and the launch of their adventurous audience-interactive initiative — Commission: Engage — which will be shared in a series of recital and community engagement experiences. As individuals, violinist Grant Houston, cellist Yi-Mei Templeman and pianist Andrew Barnwell have established performing careers that have taken them to nine countries for ADVOCATE | FROM PAGE 5 means of encouraging others to have the same self-belief within themselves that I’ve found from the training that I provide — and to teach it in a way that encourages them to go on and do the same for others. And the second part of my goal is professionally, to grow Mission Ready in a way to provide that environment while providing me with more time with my family. If I have more people to help spread it, I won’t have to do it all by myself. It will allow the burden to be shared. It will be nice for Mission Ready to grow that way. Q: Who is the biggest hero of your life? A: Growing up, I would have to say the “Rocky Movies” [the series of movies by actor Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, the underdog boxer who fi ghts his way to the World Heavyweight Championship], but if I had to pick a real hero, I would have to go back to when my wife lost our fi rst son, in December of 2015, on Christmas, when she spent 17 hours in labor for a child we would never see. She handled WEEKEND ATTRACTION: Trio Gaia will provide a free classical music concert in the Community Room of the Saugus Public Library at 1 p.m. on Sunday (April 10). (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) a range of solo and collaborative opportunities. Together, the trio has studied extensively with renowned artists Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Donald Weilerstein, Merry Peckham and Max Levinson. Additional mentors include cellists Lluís Claret and Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir and pianists Victor Rosenbaum and Orli Shaham. When not rehearsing or performing, you can fi nd Trio Gaia shopping for new outfi ts or cooking together. The program will feature: • Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 (“Archduke Trio”) — Ludwig van Beethoven; I Allegro moderato; III Andante cantabile ma pero con moto; poco piu adagio; V Allegro moderato — Presto • Roots II-David Baker; I Incantation; III Sorrow Song; IV Jubilee This event is funded by the Saugus Cultural Council, a local arm of the Mass Cultural Council. MAN IN THE RING: Brandon Montella closes in on one of his opponents during his undefeated boxing career. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) it with such courage. And it’s hard for me to talk about it without being emotional. That’s the day I learned the true defi nition of empathy. I admire her for the struggle she’s gone through as a minority woman. We’ve been together for 16 years. It takes courage to watch your man get punched in the head in a boxing match. It takes courage to lose a child. I’m the biggest fan of her personal endeavors and she’s my biggest fan. Q: So, what’s that date tattooed on your left wrist? A: That’s my wedding band. I can’t lose it because it won’t come off. My anniversary date — May 23, 2010. Q: So, why run 100 miles if you’ve never run half of that distance before? A: Why not? Because nobody else in their right mind would. I want to see what I can’t do. ADVOCATE | SEE PAGE 7
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