Félix Magazine

Meeting in London with the Greenwich Trio during a rehearsal at Trinity Laban College, on the banks of the Thames. Lana Trotovšek (violin), Heather Tuach (cello), and Yoko Misumi (piano) are working on Beethoven’s trios with a focus that is as intense as it is radiant.

I had already met the members of the Greenwich Trio at their concert on 19 July 2025, during the Festival Hier & Aujourd’hui in Touraine, and we had agreed to meet again in London — where they lived, and where they came together to rehearse.

An appointment was set for last October. On that sunny morning, the light filtering over the Thames gently caressed the red bricks and baroque façades of King Charles Court, a former royal palace now home to the Trinity Laban Conservatoire. In a wood-panelled room, beneath the watchful gaze of a few composers’ busts and around a grand piano, Lana Trotovšek (violin), Heather Tuach (cello), and Yoko Misumi (piano) tune their instruments—and their breathing—before diving again into Beethoven’s trios, in preparation for their upcoming London concert. Beyond these history-laden walls, another kind of architecture emerges: the living one of the Greenwich Trio, three decades of musical friendship constantly renewed with each reprise of a motif.

The origins of the trio

Interview with Lana Trotovšek (violin)

« This is where we trained, at Trinity Laban. At the time, we were very passionate and a little bit out of control. We took part in many international competitions and met a lot of people who invited us to give concerts in Italy, Spain and Amsterdam. The person who influenced us the most is Bernard Greenhouse. He was the cellist of the very prestigious Beaux Arts Trio. We met him during a masterclass at the Royal College in London. He invited us to the USA, where he was living, and we studied with him there. When we were students, people thought our playing was very passionate and had a beautiful energy. You know, we loved being together, we laughed a lot, but we sometimes argued as well.”

Founded in London in 2006, the Greenwich Trio was born from the collaboration between violinist Lana Trotovšek, pianist Yoko Misumi, and cellist Stjepan Hauser, united by a shared passion for the piano trio repertoire from Haydn to the 20th century. Invitations to major European festivals and early recordings — Beethoven and Mendelssohn for Meridian, the Archduke for Hedone — quickly established the ensemble as a promising chamber group, celebrated for both virtuosity and emotional depth.

A new configuration, a new balance

In 2018, Canadian cellist Heather Tuach joined the trio, bringing with her the experience of the  Fitzwilliam String Quartet and a seasoned international career. Between family life, touring, and rehearsal schedules, flexibility is key: sometimes a room at Trinity College, more often a living room at one of their homes, where furniture is moved aside to make space for a piano, a stand, and the long, patient work of shaping a program.

The fusion of timbres and dialogue

Interview with Lana Trotovšek (violin), Heather Tuach (cello), and Yoko Misumi (piano)

« Lana : Heather brings that harmony we were missing. And we all feel more at ease with each other.
Félix Magazine : Heather, what contribution have you brought to the trio?

Heather :I think I’m a conciliatory and very organized person. I have experience in chamber music from playing for 8 years with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet. I know how to have fun, and I’ve also learned not to repeat my past mistakes.

Félix Magazine : Yoko, what is your position in the trio?

Yoko : As a pianist with my score, I have to create an orchestra. But at the same time, I must be able to play sometimes like a string player, and sometimes like a solo pianist.

Félix Magazine : Yoko, when you say you replace the orchestra, shouldn’t you be the leader of the Greenwich Trio?

Yoko : We are all leaders together, and we are all soloists. But sometimes, we switch roles to step into the background. In fact, we support each other. »

What strikes the listener — or the observer — is the unity of sound: a luminous violin, a resonant cello, a piano that sings rather than dominates. This fusion creates a genuine musical conversation: a phrase entrusted to the cello, answered by the violin, rekindled by the piano — giving the Greenwich Trio the distinctive presence of a single living organism with three voices.

Mentorship and recognition

The trio has grown under the guidance of chamber‑music masters — members of the Amadeus, Alban Berg, and Guarneri, Quartets, as well as Menahem Pressler, Bernard Greenhouse, Ivry Gitlis, and Stephen Kovacevich, among others. Their recordings — notably the complete Brahms Trios released on Linn Records — have earned five‑star reviews from BBC Music Magazine, Classica, and Diapason confirming the Greenwich Trio’s standing among the foremost ensembles of its generation.

Thirty years after its beginnings, the Greenwich Trio continues to look forward — with new programs, commissions, and collaborations with composers and performers, remaining faithful to the great Romantic repertoire while embracing wider horizons. The harmony patiently built between Lana, Heather, and Yoko promises a future filled with new tours, recordings, and those soaring lyric moments that define the trio’s musical signature.

Jean‑Claude Djian

Upcoming concerts in 2026

• May 15, 2026 – Bridport Arts Centre (Concerts in the West) – Beethoven and Fanny Mendelssohn program.
• May 15, 2026 – Ilminster Arts Centre – recital as part of Concerts in the West.
• May 17, 2026 – The Dance House, Crewkerne – chamber music concert.

Recent recordings

• Brahms: Piano Trios, Vol. 1 (Trio No. 2, Op. 87; String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36), Greenwich Trio – Linn Records, Ref. CKD 715, highly praised in the classical press.
• Ongoing series devoted to the complete Brahms Trios on Linn, following their acclaimed Beethoven and Mendelssohn recordings for Meridian and the Archduke Trio for Hedone.