Langley, B.C. – The talented AJA Trio have once again played their way to the top.
After major wins at two significant local festivals, the trio’s performance at the Kiwanis Fraser Valley International Music Festival earned them the chance to perform in the National Chamber Music Class at the 2015 Performing Arts BC Festival this month. The three students from Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) were also selected to represent the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festival in the event’s senior chamber group category.
“What these students are doing is remarkable. They are playing and performing at such an advanced level for where they are in their careers. All three of them have such promising futures ahead of them, and in the way they play it’s apparent that they’re motivated to reach new heights, both personally and professionally,” says Bo Peng, the trio’s coach, and cellist for the internationally acclaimed Borealis String Quartet, currently KPU’s string quartet-in-residence.
Music students Alexander Chernata on clarinet, Julie Lin on violin and Andrea Pedro on piano – KPU’s “AJA Trio” – were recently awarded first place in the senior category at the 61st Annual Young Musicians Competition put on by Vancouver’s Friends of Chamber Music. They also won Senior Ensemble First Prize in the open chamber ensemble section of the Vancouver Kiwanis Festival.
Jane Hayes, KPU director of piano studies, and Don Hlus, chair of the KPU Department of Music, also worked closely with Peng and the AJA Trio.
The trio will perform in two categories at the 2015 Performing Arts BC Festival in Powell River, May 26-30. If successful in the National Chamber Music Class, they will have the opportunity to proceed to nationals in Edmonton this August.
For more information about KPU’s Department of Music, visit kpu.ca/music.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region since 1981, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 19,000 students annually have a choice from over 124 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates citations and apprenticeships. Learn more at www.kpu.ca.
Photo of the AJA Trio available here.
Media contact:
Hayley Woodin
Media Specialist
t: 604.599.2883
c: 604.364.1288
hayley.woodin@kpu.ca
For more KPU news:
@KPUmedia
kpu.ca/newsroom
Flickr