REVIEWS
"Flamboyant vitality . . . expert performances.” —Chicago Tribune (John von Rhein)
"Compelling . . . played with fierce eloquence." —The Times (London)
"An extraordinary collection . . . incredible work." —American Record Guide
"Rhythmically tight and, like the best trio recordings, conveying a sense of a fuller ensemble." —The Strad
"10/10. A threesome that often sounds like six, or like one, and . . . makes magic . . . insightful, committed, and masterful performances." —Classics Today
"FIVE STARS. A fabulous disc." —Fanfare
"Best Classical Album of 2019" —Chicago Tribune
"The music on this disc stimulates the mind and reminds us how music is a life affirming force. The Black Oak Ensemble performs it with verve and intelligence." —Audiophile Audition
BIOGRAPHY
The Black Oak Ensemble's latest CD release, “Avant l’orage,” a double album of French string trios, reached #1 in the Billboard Classical Charts in July 2022.
Praised for its “insightful, committed and masterful performances” (Classics Today 10/10) and “fierce eloquence” (London Times), the Black Oak Ensemble is one of the most innovative and exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage.
Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist David Cunliffe are members of the acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Lincoln Trio, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli was a founding member of the ground-breaking Grammy-nominated Spektral Quartet.
Black Oak’s début album on Çedille Records, "Silenced Voices," is dedicated to Jewish composers, most of whom lost their lives during the Holocaust. It has been featured in Gramophone and Strings magazines, and on BBC Radio 3, The Violin Channel, and Sirius XM. In 2022, the ensemble released their second recording on the Cedille label, “Avant l’orage,” a double album of French string trios from 1926-39, including several world premiere recordings, that reached the #1 position in the BILLBOARD CLASSICAL CHARTS in July 2022.
International tours have taken the Black Oak Ensemble to Amsterdam, Geneva (a special performance dedicated to human rights), the Everlasting Hope Festival in Terezin (in honor of composers persecuted and murdered by the Nazis during the occupation of Prague), Paris, Grenoble, Lyon, Rennes, Corsica, Prague and Athens.
In the U.S. they have appeared at the Newport Music Festival Ravinia Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Latino Music Festival, University of Oregon, and many other venues. They will make their New York City début at the Mrgan Museum in November, 2022.
Passionate advocates of new works, Black Oak has commissioned and premiered string trios from renowned composers such as Michael Nyman, Conrad Tao, David Ludwig and others.
Black Oak is Ensemble-in-Residence at New Music School in Chicago and the Ravinia Festival’s El Sistema program.
The ensemble is named for the black oak, one of which stands in Desirée and David's front yard.