White Oak Concerts Background
The Road Less Traveled—To the Top
In an assembly-line age where accomplished musicians seem to put together chamber music performances at the drop of a hat the White Oak Trio is breath of fresh air. Pianist Meryl Ettelson, cellist Martha Lisle, and violinist Steven McMillan are a phenomenon: an independent chamber music group making the time to be “at one”--at one with each other and at one with the music they perform. They have chosen the more complex, but infinitely more rewarding path to musical success. Says McMillan: “We stay busy with building new repertoire; with refining the depth of our understanding of old repertoire; with planning our first commercial recording release; with concerts, master classes, educational outreach presentations, lectures—we spend a lot of time on these. It is our feeling that this kind of music making requires quality time not just ‘fingers’. We also get into discussions about the music, and ourselves, and spiritual growth. The layers are numerous.”…
How does a chamber music group get together anyway? Sometimes it’s marketing, pure and simple: world-famous personalities team up for an occasional and expensive public display. Sometimes it’s an assignment as at universities where faculties put together short-lived performances of chamber works. Then sometimes it’s great fortune: individual musicians of quality who are on the lookout for musical “soul mates” find one another. That would be the case with the White Oak Trio. Their formation was more like synchronicity. Each member has their own story of how chamber music came into their life and led to today’s happy outcome.
Ettelson began her chamber music career at the New School of Music in Philadelphia at the age of 11. As the years passed she found herself playing in many ensembles. At Indiana University she began to comprehend the depth of understanding that can be attained between collaborating artists. While her ensuing performance career took her into many venues with artists of varying caliber, it was not until she encountered the talented young violinist, Steven McMillan, that she found a musical partner. The two met while Ettelson was in charge of chamber music at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, and the 16 year old McMillan was acting as concertmaster of the Del Mar Orchestra. Over the years they developed an intimacy of expression that is seldom heard. It wasn’t until 2004 that they that she and McMillan heard the remarkable cellist, Martha Lisle. This occurred at a program of the works of Ned Rorem they presented at University of Houston in 2004. Lisle played the difficult cello solos in Bright Music with such artistry that the two hoped that they had found someone to join them. It turned out that Lisle had always loved the tapestry of sound created by the combination of instruments in a piano trio and had longed for the miracle of finding compatible players. The three had found each other.
To Ettelson, her colleagues are inspiring musicians who impel her to rise above her preconceived limits. For her the excitement of creating a piece of music together is the ultimate musical experience. Lisle treasures the friendship, exchange of ideas, and the sharing of the music. McMillan finds that the piano trio format allows him the maximum opportunity to blend the skills of a collaborator and soloist. It utilizes all of his experience and continues to cause him to expand as a musician.