About the Sapphire Trio
The Sapphire Trio have been together since 1998 and are committed to delivering the legacy of fine art music, celebrating its universal language across the globe, and upholding the art of chamber music as an exciting, dynamic and diverse performance genre. Their concerts include a wide range of works, from Broadway and film music to nationally inspired works, new works and transcriptions, along with a mix of stories, visuals and vignettes about the composers and the music. As one concert attendee shared after a performance, “This ain’t your grandma’s chamber music anymore!”
The Sapphire Trio has served as U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors in a Middle East tour of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, upon which a report was sent to the White House describing their tour as one of the most successful exchanges in that region. The press referred to their concerts as “…imaginative and compelling”. They have also performed in four tours in the West Bank region (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah and the Golan Heights region) and served on international juries for the Palestinian National Music Competitions at the Edward Said Conservatory of Music based in Jerusalem. They have toured Japan, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Colombia and Ireland and most regions throughout the U.S.
The Trio have been featured guest artists at the Spanish National Clarinet/European Clarinet Association Congress and have performed at many U.S. national clarinet symposia and ICA international Clarinetfests including the International Clarinet and Saxophone Festival in Medellin, Colombia, South America and at the National Art Museum in Bogota. The Sapphire Trio have also been headline performers at state and national MTNA, ICA, ASTA, conferences, including the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) conference in Seattle. They have performed commissioned works at Music and Medicine conferences at the Mayo Clinic, and at the American Association of Medical Colleges. They were also invited performers for the International Clarinet Festival in Dublin, Ireland in 2024.
The Trio offers masterclasses and workshops in chamber music, and also work with young composers at Virginia Tech University and elsewhere to inspire their creativity in writing for this medium. The Sapphire Trio continues to perform the repertoire commissioned by the Verdehr Trio and enjoys performing several works that have been written especially for them. Margaret, Maxine and Jody are also active soloists, artist teachers, adjudicators, clinicians and workshop presenters. More information about the individual performers and the trio can be found at www.sapphire3.org
