THE WEBSTER TRIO

Friday, September 14
Faculty Recital
The Webster Trio: Leone Buyse, flute; Michael Webster, clarinet; and Robert Moeling, piano
Program: Gaubert - Sonata for Flute and Piano; Brahms - Sonata in F Minor for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120 No. 1; Joseph Makholm - Music for the Middle of the Day (for flute, clarinet, and piano; Premiere; written for The Webster Trio); Takemitsu - Air (1995; performed as a clarinet solo); Toshi Ichiyanagi - Still Time IV (for solo flute; 1996; in memory of Toru Takemitsu); and Brett Keüper Abigaña - Four Dances (2007; Premiere; written for The Webster Trio).
8:00 p.m., Duncan Recital Hall



The Webster Trio was founded in 1988 by Michael Webster and Leone Buyse in order to expand and promote the repertoire for flute, clarinet, and piano through commissions, transcriptions, and research. The trio's pianist is Robert Moeling; other previous collaborative pianists have been the legendary Beveridge Webster, Michael's late father and a long-time member of the Juilliard School faculty, pianist-composer Martin Amlin of Boston University, and University of Michigan faculty member Katherine Collier. In Japan Buyse and Webster perform with pianist Chizuko Sawa as the Webster Trio Japan, touring throughout Japan and giving recitals at Tokyo's Suntory Hall and Bunka Kaikan.

The Webster Trio is also deeply committed to music education. During concerts their interactive commentary greatly enhances the enjoyment and understanding of audiences, whether English-speaking or Japanese. While touring, they seek opportunities for outreach through visits to elementary, middle, and high schools as well as universities. One of their most memorable school concerts to date was for a student body of 12 in a rural area of southern Japan. Following the trio's performance, during which Buyse and Webster had addressed the schoolchildren and faculty in Japanese, the school's principal gave a speech explaining that he had just learned how to be a more effective teacher and also how to enjoy classical music for the first time in his life. One of the students later wrote "When you played, I felt a fountain in my heart."