Merz Trio Leads a Classical Music Salon with Wine Pairing at The Sheen Center

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street at the corner of Elizabeth Street in NYC), the arts center of the Archdiocese of New York, presents a unique, live classical music event. For one night only, Tuesday, September 24 at 7PM, Merz Trio will perform an intimate and up-close program - to an audience of only 35 people - on the stage of The Sheen Center's Loreto Theater. Merz Trio has crafted a multi-sensory experience, complete with literary excerpts and a specially curated wine tasting to enhance the evening's musical selections.. With the audience seated on stage beside them, the musicians will engage with audience to share their insight and perspectives on the program. Tickets are $55, which includes the wine tasting. Tickets/reservations for all events at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, at the corner of Elizabeth Street) are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, in-person at The Sheen Center box office, or OvationTix.com.

The music program:

• Josef Haydn, Movements 1 and 2 of Piano Trio No. 44 in E Major
• Alban Berg, "Traumgekrönt" from Sieben Früher Lieder (text by Rainer Maria Rilke)
• Maurice Ravel, Trio in A Minor for piano, violin, and cello
• Franz Schubert, Notturno

Composed of players hailed as "impressive" (New York Times), Merz Trio was formed in 2017 by pianist Lee Dionne, violinist Brigid Coleridge, and cellist Julia Yang. Merz Trio has quickly emerged as a unique and award-winning ensemble, garnering the First Prize at the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the First Prize and Audience Prize at the 2018 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition. Highlights of their 2018-2019 season include performances in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, a feature on London's BBC Radio 3, and two residencies at Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh, UK. The Trio is currently based out of New York City and is the Graduate Piano Trio in Residence at the New England Conservatory (2018-2020). Merz Trio is committed to passionate, original playing and thoughtfully curated programming. The Trio presents a wide range of repertoire each season, both in traditional recitals as well as in multidisciplinary shows that present music alongside art from other disciplines. In December 2018, the Trio presented "Those Secret Eyes," an immersive concert experience based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, featuring dancer Caroline Copeland at the Kosciuszko Foundation in NYC. Performances of "Those Secret Eyes" will be presented in Burlington, VT, Boston and New York City in the 2019-20 season. The Trio has been the recipient of several New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Musicianship Grants to support their multidisciplinary endeavors. The Trio engages in local education and community building and donates 10% of its earnings from select concerts to local charities.

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (www.sheencenter.org) is a New York City arts center located in NoHo that presents a vibrant mix of theater, film, music, art and talk events. The arts center of the Archdiocese of New York, The Sheen Center serves all New Yorkers by presenting performances and artists that reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best remembered as an inspirational author, radio host and two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality, The Sheen Center reflects his modern-day approach to contemporary topics. The Sheen Center is a state-of-the-art theater complex that includes the 270-seat off-Broadway Loreto Theater, equipped with five-camera high-definition TV and live-stream capability and a multi-track recording studio; the 80-seat off-off-Broadway Black Box Theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery.