POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (August 24, 2007) — The Vassar College music department will feature the classical music of the Borromeo String Quartet and organist Gerre Hancock, and the medieval Iberian harp songs of TREFOIL (the trio featuring Vassar lecturer Drew Minter) during its fall concert series.

Several programs will be presented by Vassar faculty including the piano wind trio Three's a Charm, featuring faculty member Elisabeth Romano; the Excelsior Trombone Ensemble, featuring faculty member Paul Bellino; percussionist and adjunct artist Frank Cassara; and harpist Bridget Kibbey.

The series opens on Wednesday, August 29 at the Skinner Hall of Music and will include nearly 30 concerts plus a new feature this year: two colloquia designed to further enhance the scholarly aspect of the concerts. The concert series will include several special guest performances, Vassar faculty recitals, and students' senior recitals.

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EXCELSIOR TROMBONE ENSEMBLE

The Excelsior Trombone Ensemble was formed in 2000 and its mission is to provide audiences with the opportunity to experience the unique sonority of the trombone, its history, and its repertoire. Paul Brantley is an accomplished composer whose music is played by major artists around the world.

TREFOIL

TREFOIL is a trio of singer/instrumentalists with a passion for early music. TREFOIL debuted in New York and Philadelphia in 2000 with a program of 14th century French music, which prompted The Philadelphia Inquirer to call them "a hearty trio of medieval music specialists" and their work "an intricate, enigmatic vocal art." Since then, the trio has delighted audiences across the country.
[Left: Drew Minter of TREFOIL]

OBERLIN FORTEPIANO TRIO

Beethoven and Brahms may be familiar, but the Oberlin Fortepiano Trio's fresh approach makes them new again. Masters of their instruments and ardent about their repertoire, the Oberlin Fortepiano Trio brings eighteenth- and nineteenth-century style to life.

BORROMEO STRING QUARTET

Above: Borromeo String Quartet (photo by Liz Linder)

The critically acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet is one of the most sought after string quartets in the world. Each season, it performs more than one hundred concerts of classical and contemporary music across three continents. The quartet has performed at Lincoln Center and on National Public Radio, and is the faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the New England Conservatory of Music.

GERRE HANCOCK

Gerre Hancock is one of America's most highly acclaimed concert organists and choral directors, and is Professor of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Hancock held the position of Organist and Master of Choristers at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City, where, for more than 30 years, he set a new standard for church music in America.