Introducing the performers…

Ruth Rogers – Violin 

Katherine Jenkinson – Cello

Martin Cousin – Piano

Described by Gramophone as “spot-on in interpretative instinct”, the Aquinas Piano Trio have established themselves as one of Britain’s most sought-after chamber groups. Following their Wigmore Hall debut in December 2015, Musical Opinion commented: “This sold out concert hall was in awe, ecstatic with joy at the final cadence.” The group’s growing list of recordings includes the Saint-Saëns Trios, released on Guild in 2015, and their CD of Mendelssohn Trios. In awarding the latter its Choice of the Month in in May 2015, Strad Magazine said: “The Aquinas Trio rejoices in these cherishable scores with a symphonic sweep and an insatiable forward momentum… This is an enormously impressive coupling.”

Aquinas Piano Trio recitals include a Schumann concert series at Kings Place, London, the Little Missenden Festival, the Chipping Campden International Music Festival and four concerts in Mallorca. Their continuing support of contemporary music sees premieres of new works by Thomas Hyde and Rob Keeley.

Ruth Rogers

Ruth Rogers studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Herman Krebbers. Described as “the finest of the younger generation of violinists” (Musical Opinion) and hailed by the Guardian as “superb”, Ruth is in demand as a soloist, leader, and chamber musician. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2001 and was awarded the Tagore Gold Medal – the college’s highest accolade.

Ruth has an impressive list of awards and has performed as a soloist at such prestigious venues as The Wigmore Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and St John’s, Smith Square. Ruth has appeared in concert alongside a number of distinguished performers, including Ida Haendel, and John Lill, and has led orchestras under the batons of Lorin Maazel and Colin Davis.

Ruth is leader of the London Mozart Players and worked as co-Leader of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra from 2008 until 2012. She appears as a guest leader of many other major orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. She has also appeared in Principal roles with the Hallé, English Chamber Orchestra and London Chamber Orchestra. Ruth has played concertos with the City of London Sinfonia, the City of Oxford Orchestra, and London Strings, and plays regularly with the Iuventus Quartet as well as the Aquinas Piano Trio. She has appeared at the Wigmore Hall with the Nash Ensemble.

Katherine Jenkinson

Katherine Jenkinson is recognised as one of the UK’s leading cellists specialising in solo and chamber music. The Independent newspaper has praised her “technical security backed up by rare musical sensitivity”. She studied at The Royal Academy of Music and has since been privileged to become an associate at the academy, giving performance classes there, and masterclasses at Trinity Laban (as part of the International String Quartet Festival), at Kazan Conservatory (Russia), and at the Music Conservatory in Kazakhstan.

Chamber music plays a key part in Katherine’s musical life. She was a founder member of The Rautio Piano Trio, and was a member of The Allegri String Quartet (2008-2011) as well as the Iuventus Quartet and Ensemble. In contemporary music, Katherine has worked closely with composers Arvo Pärt, Anthony Payne, Richard Allain and Thomas Hyde.

Since giving her debut Wigmore Hall performance in 2004 with duo partner Alison Farr, Katherine has performed as recitalist and concerto soloist throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. In 2015, she performed all the Bach cello suites over six concerts in Norwich; performed the Brahms Double Concerto for the first time in Suffolk; performed with The Dante Quartet, and a played in a critically acclaimed and sold-out Wigmore Hall concert with the Aquinas Piano Trio.

Martin Cousin

Martin Cousin is regarded as one of the most exceptional pianists of his generation, having been awarded first prize at the 2005 Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition (Seregno, Italy) and a Gold Medal at the 2003 Royal Over-Seas League Music Competition (London).

Martin appears regularly at the major London musical venues such as Wigmore Hall, the South Bank, Barbican Centre, as well as Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. He has performed as concerto soloist with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, Halle, Royal Philharmonic and BBC Concert Orchestras. Performances further afield have included tours of New Zealand, the US, Indonesia and Thailand; concerts in Stockholm, Brussels, Toronto, Tokyo, Berne and The Hague; and numerous recitals throughout Italy. 2006 saw the release of his debut CD of Rachmaninov’s Sonata No 1 and Morceaux de Salon with SOMM Recordings, which was selected as Classical CD of the week by the Daily Telegraph. The US magazine Fanfare said: “This is the performance of the 1st Sonata that I have always heard in my head but never thought I’d actually get to hear with my ears. This guy’s the real deal!”

Martin’s 2014 CD of Rachmaninov’s Études-Tableaux for SOMM was hailed by the Observer as “a landmark recording” while Fanfare Magazine hailed him as being “among the most distinguished Rachmaninov pianists of our generation”. The hands featured in the scenes where Rachmaninov’s 3rd Concertoin is played in the Oscar-winning film “Shine” are Martin’s.

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