Meet the Artists: NDSO and Sylvan Trio

For the first time, the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra (NDSO) and the Sylvan Trio will take the stage together as part of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s 20th anniversary Presenting Series. This collaboration marks an exciting milestone, showcasing both the talent within the NDSO and the artistry of the Sylvan Trio—flutist Suzanne Bona, cellist Josh Aerie, and pianist Greg Kostraba. Their performance will feature Vincent d’Indy’s Concerto for Flute, Cello, Piano, and Strings, a rarely heard work that blends neoclassical elegance with rich orchestral textures.

We spoke with NDSO Director Daniel Stowe and members of the Sylvan Trio about the significance of this moment, their approach to balancing solo and ensemble elements, and what audiences can expect from this dynamic concert.

This is a significant moment, with both the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra and the Sylvan Trio making their Presenting Series debuts. How does it feel to be part of DPAC’s 20th anniversary season?

Josh: On behalf of the Sylvan Trio, we’re thrilled to be a part of such an auspicious season. DPAC is a gem: a phenomenal performing arts center with superb performance spaces and world-class programming. To help celebrate the 20th anniversary season of such an august venue is an honor.

Dan: It’s great to collaborate with Josh and the Trio. DPAC has been my professional home for 20 years, and our ensembles have benefited incomparably from it.

The program includes Vincent d’Indy’s Concerto for Flute, Cello, Piano, and Strings. What drew you to this particular work, and what do you find most compelling about it?

Josh: The Concerto is quirky and a blast to play—it has many d’Indy hallmarks: an overall neoclassical approach tinged with d’Indy’s unique sense of tonality and joie de vivre. And, of course, the instrumentation suits us perfectly—a rarity in our world given our instrumentation!

Dan: What he said.

It’s very good for the orchestral players, requiring sensitivity to many period styles (Baroque, Classic, Romantic, “Neo-” in all its various manifestations) since d’Indy references them all, embedding sly allusions to composers from Bach to Wagner and Vaughan Williams.

Greg: A few years back, as I was seeking out repertoire for flute, cello, and piano, I was thrilled to discover the d’Indy Triple Concerto. There is not all that much original repertoire for our ensemble, so I couldn’t believe that there was a concerto written for our unique combination of instruments and orchestra. And it is delightful from beginning to end!

How do you approach creating a dialogue between the intimate solo group of the Sylvan Trio and the larger ensemble of the NDSO?

Dan: Based on our first rehearsal with Josh last night, we’ll grow a lot as an ensemble working with the Trio as a whole and with all its constituent members.

Greg: I approach almost all ensemble music as chamber music, and in essence, this concerto is chamber music on a grand scale. There is a huge variety of textures in this piece, not just among the trio, but with different sections of the orchestra at different times. Consequently, balance is paramount. The most important voices in the texture always need to be brought out, and this will take some rehearsal time to work out.

For the Sylvan Trio, how do you balance exploring new music with performing pieces from the standard repertoire, and how does that influence your interpretation of works like d’Indy’s concerto?

Josh: We delight in finding and exploring works by living composers and those underrepresented throughout Western music history.

Additionally, we believe it’s our imperative to present such works to help audiences appreciate the vast diversity of musical artistry in the world today, and throughout history. As there aren’t many works written expressly for flute, cello, and piano, we also enjoy the process of selecting and adapting works from the repertoire that we believe will benefit from the new timbre and interpretation that our instrumentation brings.

I think the process of working directly with living composers informs our approach to works from the past. I will try to imagine what d’Indy might say about a part we’ve chosen to interpret in a particular way in the Concerto, for instance. Knowing a bit about d’Indy’s life, his oeuvre, his teaching career, his students, and how some of those famous students and d’Indy himself influenced composers today—including some of our composer friends—is a wonderful and informative lineage to connect with as performers.

As the director of NDSO, what is your process for preparing an ensemble of 80–90 musicians for a performance that includes both 18th-century and modern works?

Dan: Well, this program contains only works written between 1925 and 1942, so it’s a very circumscribed chronological range. However, since 20th-century composers were so eclectic in their allusions, the orchestra does require awareness of styles from the 18th century onwards to recognize the references and present them appropriately. (Shout-out to Still and “Kaintuck’” here, since although, as Josh noted to our players, the piece is the composer’s impressionistic response to Bluegrass music, there’s not a little reference to composers ranging from Rachmaninoff to Gershwin contained therein as well.)

What are some of the unique challenges and rewards of collaborating on a piece like d’Indy’s concerto, which blends solo and ensemble elements?

Josh: As with any concerto, balance is a challenge. In our case, it’s three versus many, so there are certain technical and interpretive elements we each employ to make sure we project and can be heard above the orchestra, but also blend and play good chamber music when called for.

Dan: Again, what he said. We’ll learn a ton as an orchestra from observing and interacting with their rapport as chamber musicians.

How do the individual backgrounds and experiences of the Sylvan Trio members influence your collective sound and approach to performance?

Josh: My first love in terms of playing style and repertoire is chamber music. As a chamber musician, I’m both a soloist—solely responsible for my own part, its interpretation, and execution—and a team player—responsible for blending with and supporting my colleagues in furtherance of the ensemble as a whole. It’s no secret that chamber music was many composers’ preferred medium for writing their most intimate, emotionally complex, and forward-leaning works. It’s a great privilege for me to have the opportunity to develop, interpret, and share chamber music with Suzanne and Greg, and our audiences!

What do you hope the audience will take away from this concert, particularly in terms of the connection between the soloists and the orchestra?

Josh: I hope the audience can see what fun we have playing all together—the three of us with Dan and the NDSO strings. And, since I have the great privilege of conducting the NDSO on Suzanne’s and Greg’s concerti, I look forward to giving the audience a glimpse of my rapport with all of my musician friends from the podium, as well as from behind the cello. It’s not every day one gets to play chamber music, play a concerto, and conduct in a single concert. What a thrill!

What are some of the most memorable experiences or highlights for you in preparing for this concert, either in rehearsals or in the planning stages?

Greg: The Sylvans rehearsed together in Cincinnati last month, and it was a sheer joy to work on the concerto. Since I have the whole score in front of me, I was able to play the orchestra part during the times in which I am not playing my part. That extra layer of complexity was especially illuminating, and fun!

Looking forward, what are your goals for future collaborations between the Sylvan Trio and NDSO, and what other works or composers would you like to explore together?

Josh: I hope this is the first of many opportunities to work with Dan and the NDSO, both selfishly as one who lives in town, and on behalf of the Trio. We’ve discussed other repertoire possibilities for trio and orchestra, including arranging Beethoven’s Triple (originally for violin, cello, piano, and orchestra), so I know there are ideas percolating for another engagement down the road!

As the NDSO and the Sylvan Trio come together for this landmark performance, the collaboration promises to be a testament to both technical artistry and musical connection. The concert offers a rare opportunity to experience d’Indy’s concerto in a live setting, with each musician bringing their unique perspective and expertise to the piece. With a program that celebrates both historical influences and fresh interpretations, the evening will highlight the beauty of chamber music within an orchestral setting. Whether it’s the Sylvan Trio’s seamless interplay, the NDSO’s adaptability, or the sheer joy of making music together, this performance is sure to leave a lasting impression.