The Trio

3:0 was never actually founded; it more or less just happened, quite unintentionally.

In the course of the many events held in Salzburg in 2006 to celebrate Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday, Eva Steinschaden, Detlef Mielke and Alexander Vavtar found themselves performing together. The occasion was the world première of a chamber opera, Der Zauberspiegel [The Magic Mirror] by the Austrian composer Ludwig Nussbichler. Although they had never before played as a trio, the three musicians – all of whom had wide experience in all kinds of chamber music – knew each other (Salzburg is a village!), and embraced the project with enthusiasm. It worked like magic. The press reported: "A truly splendid conclusion to the 2006 Mozart anniversary. Certainly one of the most unpretentious and lasting contributions to the Mozart celebrations."

After this success, the three went their separate ways, with no thoughts of founding a trio, and – musically speaking – lost sight of one another.

In 2008, it was once again contemporary music that brought them together on the platform. This was the first Salzburg performance of Friedrich Cerha's Piano Trio (2005), on the invitation of Aspekte Salzburg, a festival of New Music. The collaboration was once more exciting and rewarding, if quite strenuous, since Cerha demands from musicians just about all they can give. Once more, it was a triumph. The composer, who was present at the performance, pronounced himself delighted with the successful performance of his work, and the press reported "a top-quality performance which could not but be received with enthusiasm".

Once again, the three lost sight of one another after the concert – why found a trio?

In 2010, history repeated itself, under similar conditions – once again, for a recital of contemporary music organised by Aspekte Salzburg. This time the programme included the world première of a new work by Gerhard Wimberger and a performance of a piano trio by Gerald Resch. The result was yet another fantastic performance, greeted with exuberant applause by composers and audience alike.

But – put a name to the ensemble? No – whatever for?

In 2011 there followed a concert in Vienna, once again with a contemporary focus, but also including music by Franz Schubert, and in 2012 a concert in Wels, with exclusively contemporary works, earning the three musicians unanimous praise in the press.

It was not until the journey home from Wels that the decision was at last taken to form a piano trio and put a name to it.

This is how 3:0 came to be, through fate and fortune – not on the drawing-board, but out of sheer pleasure in making all kinds of music together and bringing first-rate interpretations to interested audiences.

Curriculum vitae Trio

Eva Steinschaden, violin

Eva Steinschaden received her first violin tuition at the age of four from her father, Bruno Steinschaden.

Later she studied under Helmut Zehetmair and Ruggiero Ricci at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, gaining her teacher's diploma in 1988 and her performer's diploma in 1989, before spending some years studying with Maestro Renato Zanettovich at the Scuola Superiore di Musica da Camera del Trio di Trieste in Duino/Italy.

She attended master classes with various teachers, including Shmuel Ashkenazy, Ljerko Spiller, Thomas Brandis and Enrico Bronzi, and won first prize in many competitions, such as "Jugend Musiziert" [Young Musicians].

For many years she led the Leopold Mozart Chamber Orchestra in Salzburg; she was a member of various chamber ensembles, including the Steinschaden Trio Salzburg, and a regular extra with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra.

For more than ten years she has concentrated primarily on chamber music and the Duo :nota bene:, founded together with pianist Alexander Vavtar in 1996.

She has travelled to every continent, giving over 500 concerts, and has made numerous recordings for radio, television and on CD.

Solo performances include concertos with distinguished orchestras such as the Sinfonia Varsovia, Poznań Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra/Bulgaria and Leopold Mozart Chamber Orchestra Salzburg.

Eva Steinschaden has taught violin at the Salzburg Musikum since 1988, and has held a teaching post for violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg since 1992. For many years she was a teacher at the annual chamber music master classes in Schloss Zell an der Pram/Austria, and has held master classes at universities and schools of music in Malta, Mexico, Canada, India, Philippines, Indonesia and China.

Eva Steinschaden plays a violin from Pierre Silvestre from 1840.

Curriculum vitae Eva Steinschaden

Alexander Vavtar, piano

Alexander Vavtar had his first piano tuition at the age of six, with Gottfried Jaufenthaler at the Tyrol Landeskonservatorium in Innsbruck.

He went on to study piano and choral conducting with Gereon Kleiner at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, graduating in 1996, before spending some years studying with Maestro Dario de Rosa at the Scuola Superiore di Musica da Camera del Trio di Trieste in Duino/Italy.

He took part in numerous master classes, with teachers including Bernard Ringeisen, Brian Lamport and Maurin Jones, and gained prizes in several competitions such as "Jugend Musiziert" [Young Musicians].

For more than ten years he has concentrated primarily on chamber music and the Duo :nota bene:, founded together with violinist Eva Steinschaden in 1996. In addition, he enjoys accompanying lieder.

He has travelled to every continent, giving over 500 concerts, and has made numerous recordings for radio, television and on CD.

Solo performances include concertos with distinguished orchestras such as the Sinfonia Varsovia, Poznań Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra/Bulgaria and Leopold Mozart Chamber Orchestra Salzburg.

Alexander Vavtar has taught piano at the Salzburg Musikum since 1994. For many years he was a teacher at the annual chamber music master classes in Schloss Zell an der Pram/Austria, and has held master classes at universities and schools of music in Malta, Mexico, Canada, India, Philippines, Indonesia and China.

Curriculum vitae Alexander Vavtar

Detlef Mielke, cello

Detlef Mielke studied at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, the Academy of Music in Basel and the University of Music in Graz, under Heidi Litschauer, Heinrich Schiff and Rudolf Leopold. He gained distinction in his teaching diploma in 1990, and in 1996 he gained his performer's diploma, once again with distinction.

He has attended many master classes, with teachers including Philippe Mueller, Rudolf Metzmacher, Thomas Brandis, Alexander Arenkov, Geza and Szaba Szilvay, György Kurtag, Witold Lutosławski and Hans Werner Henze.

In 1991 he was awarded the Sponsorship Prize of the Town of Goslar.

Detlef Mielke played for many years in the Camerata Salzburg and was principal cellist of the Salzburg Chamber Soloists and the German Chamber Academy Neuss. Performances with these ensembles have taken him to some of the most famous concert halls in the world.

He is a member of the Hyperion Ensemble, one of the leading string sextets worldwide, and has performed with this ensemble throughout Europe and America. The ensemble has recorded many CDs.

Detlef Mielke is a member of the Scaramouche Quartet, which he co-founded in 2009. They focus on period performance practice of works composed around the time of the Vienna Classical school, using original instruments and bows, and the original pitch of the specific period. Their début CD recording of works by Joseph Haydn was released in 2009 under the Coviello Classics label.

Detlef Mielke has taught cello at the Salzburg Musikum since 1996. In 1999 he founded the ensemble "Cellissimo" with advanced cello students at the Musikum, and he has conducted the Musikum chamber orchestra since 2007.

He taught cello at the Landeskonservatorium in Feldkirch from 2009 until 2011, and has been a regular teacher at the annual Austrian Master Classes for Chamber Music in Schloss Zell an der Pram since 1997.

In 2012 he taught at the European Summer Academy in Pristina/Kosovo.

Detlef Mielke is in great demand as a juror at national and international competitions.

He plays a cello by Roger Hargrave, made in 2007.

Curriculum vitae Detlef Mielke