ESSEX PIANO TRIO presents A CONVERSATION AMONG FRIENDS: Ravel and Friends
June 28, 2026 4:00 PM
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about the program
This Conversation among Friends explores the world of Ravel and Friends, a fascinating soundscape of the first decades of the 20th century. A lifelong Parisien, Maurice Ravel absorbed the melting pot of cultures that enriched his city musically and artistically from American jazz, exotic new colors and sounds from the Orient, and the tonal and visual experimentation of his fellow composers and visual artists. He also lived and wrote about the devastating effects of World War I on his city, his country, and his own life. Today’s program shares some of that music – Ravel’s and that of three special and influential friends, Igor Stravinsky, Germaine Tailleferre, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. We hope you will enjoy immersing yourself in the amazing swirls of color that define the music of this time in history.
- Le Tombeau de Couperin (1917) — Maurice Ravel
- Pulcinella Suite (1924) — Igor Stravinsky
- Piano Trio (1916 / 1978) — Germaine Tailleferre
- Studies in English Folksong (1926) — Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Piano Trio (1914) — Maurice Ravel
about the composers
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) — At the center of the ever-evolving world of French music in the first quarter of the 20th century, Ravel was a perfectionist known for brilliant orchestration and intimate piano works as well as for masterful transcriptions of his own work and those of other composers including Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. He was a mentor to many composers of many nationalities surrounding the years of World War 1.
Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) — Stravinsky was a Russian-born composer often residing in Paris with whom Ravel had a strong but complex relationship. Ravel was particularly supportive of Stravinsky’s early works, particularly Petrushka, but their friendship was strained after The Rite of Spring overshadowed Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé.
Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983) — The only woman in the group of French composers known as Les Six, Tailleferre was a student of Ravel and a very good friend of Stravinsky with whom she often played two-piano works. Her masterful Piano Trio shows the neo-baroque and neo-classical qualities employed by both.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)
A British composer who, despite being older than Ravel, went to Paris to study with him in 1910 to improve his orchestration. Ravel described him as his only student who didn't try to imitate his style, and the two remained lifelong friends, sharing a love for music and having similar war-time experiences.
about the musicians
The musical friends known as the Essex Piano Trio (EPT) formalized their working relationship in 2017 and have since performed in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as many Massachusetts communities. Their signature concert title “Conversation among Friends,” borrowing a descriptive phrase from American biographer Catherine Bowen, alludes to their audience-friendly concert format of interesting music interspersed with casual commentary.
All from Essex County communities along Boston’s North Shore, violinist Ashley Offret of Salem, cellist David Cabral of Lynn, and pianist Beverly Soll of Rockport believe that their “Conversation among Friends” approach reflects their relationship to the music and to each other. EPT members bring many perspectives from their academic backgrounds and professional lives as educators and performers to their collective as a trio.
Pianist Beverly Soll (University of Illinois and University of Maryland) holds a DMA in chamber music/piano. Ashley Offret is a violinist (University of Maine) and music historian (MM, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music). Cellist David Cabral studied at the Boston Conservatory but works as the chief echocardiographer at Boston Medical Center’s Department of Pediatric Cardiology.
Visit essexpianotrio.com for information and recordings
or find us on Facebook or Youtube
Also, for individual artist bios and photos see
Artist Bios – Essex Piano Trio