Trio E. T. A.

The Trio E.T.A., founded in Hamburg in 2019, takes its name and inspiration from the writer, composer, and critic E.T.A. Hoffmann. The ensemble began its journey with Romantic repertoire and now embraces a wide range of works from the Classical era to the present day, being interested not only into the core repertoire but also into lesser known works and contemporary pieces. Composer Isabel Mundry dedicated a work to the trio, which they premiered in March 2025 at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

 

In May 2026, the trio won First Prize and the Hitzacker Début Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka, Japan. In 2027, the ensemble will return to Japan for a Grand Prix tour of ten concerts. Trio E.T.A. is also winner of the Vienna International Music Competition and the German Music Competition.

 

In summer 2026, the trio's second album will be released by NAXOS, featuring works by César Franck, Edvard Grieg, and the Trio in A major formerly attributed to Brahms. The recording was produced at SWR studios.

 

Concerts have taken Trio E.T.A. to Suntory Hall Tokyo, the Musikverein Vienna, Elbphilhar-monie Hamburg (Kammermusikfreunde), Liederhalle Stuttgart (RussKlassik), and Wigmore Hall London. The ensemble also appears regularly at festivals including the Schwetzingen SWR Fes-tival and the Rheingau Music Festival.  For 2026/27, the ensemble has been selected as Britten Pears Young Artists (England).
 

Since 2023, the trio has been part of SWR2's exclusive three-year New Talent programme. Their work has also been documented in numerous radio and television productions by NDR, WDR, BR, and ARD Klassik.

 

The musicians have also achieved notable success as soloists: they are prize-winners of renowned competitions including the TONALi Competition, Ton und Erklärung, the Kiefer Hablitzel | Göhner Music Prize, and the Suggia Competition, and have performed as soloists with orchestras including the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Mariinsky Orchestra.

 

Trio E.T.A. receives artistic guidance from Dirk Mommertz, Hyung-ki Joo, Angelika Merkle, Lukas Hagen, Martin Funda, Minna Pensola, and Reto Bieri. The ensemble is part of the Euro-pean Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) and the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA), and has been supported by the #musikerzukunft scholarship of the Deutsche Orchesterstiftung. Nadja Reich plays a Paolo Testore cello from 1745, on generous loan from the Hoenes Stiftung – Museum Villa Rot.