Tryos Ensemble
Tryos Ensemble
Formed among great colleagues and friends, the Tryos Ensemble brings their joy of music making to every performance. The Tryos Ensemble consists of some of the finest professional musicians in the Washington D.C. and Baltimore metro areas. The members of the group are active orchestral players, having performed in every major concert hall in the area, dedicated chamber musicians, and successful, recognized composers and arrangers. Comprised of trumpets paired with piano, organ, or strings, the Tryos Ensemble blends brilliance and subtlety, while performing a wide range of musical styles.
Members
Members
Neil Brown, Trumpet and Manager
Trumpeter Neil Brown enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, educator, composer, arranger, and band leader. Currently a member of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and All Points West Chamber Music Collective, Neil can frequently be heard playing with many Washington D.C. area ensembles including the National Philharmonic, Maryland Symphony, and Apollo Chamber Orchestra. He is also the founder, principal composer, and trumpeter for the classical and rock hybrid music group Phonic Wrinkle.
Originally from Guilford, Connecticut, Neil earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Maryland and was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington D.C. from 2009-2013. He attended the National Orchestral Institute, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Las Vegas Music Festival, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. As an educator, he has performed numerous educational concerts, presented masterclasses at both the university and high school levels, served on the faculty of the Suitland Performing Arts High School and the Sheridan School, and leads a private trumpet studio. Neil's teachers include Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, and Allan Dean.
Kevin Businsky, Trumpet
Kevin Businsky is an active performer and teacher in the Washington metropolitan area. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Kevin was a member of the New World Symphony trumpet section from 2009-2012. While in New World Kevin participated in masterclasses given by Michael Sachs, David Bilger, Tom Rolfs, Joseph Alessi and many other outstanding musicians. He also had the chance to play under Michael Tilson Thomas, Osmo Vänskä, Sir Neville Mariner, and John Adams. Kevin is currently a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C.
Prior to New World Symphony he lived in Los Angeles, CA, while completing a Professional Studies Certificate from The Colburn School of Music. While living in Los Angeles he was able to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as taking the top prize in the Pasadena Showcase Competition in 2008. Kevin earned a Bachelor’s of Music degree from the University of Maryland. During his time at UMD he performed with the Richmond and Harrisburg Symphonies as well as many other local groups in the Washington metro area.
Kevin has participated in summer music festivals including Tanglewood Music Center, AIMS in Graz, the National Orchestral Institute, Banff Summer Arts Festival, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. His teachers include Jim Wilt, Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, Phil Snedecor, and Donald Tison.
Kevin McKee, Trumpet
Kevin McKee is an active trumpeter, composer, and educator in the Washington DC area. A graduate of CSU, Sacramento (BM) and the University of Maryland (MM), Kevin is a member of the Great Noise Ensemble, the Brass of the Potomac and the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR. He has performed with the Virginia and Richmond Symphonies, the New York Opera Society, and the The O’Jays. He has also attended the Aspen Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Music Masters Course in Kasusa, Japan. His teachers were Chris Gekker, Steve Hendrickson, and Gary Dilworth. His music is published through Balquhidder Music and compositions have been performed extensively throughout North America as well as in Europe, Asia, and Australia. As an educator, he teaches brass at the International School of Music and Spencerville Adventist Academy in addition to his private studio. He is also a member of ASCAP.
Hyojin Ahn, Piano and Organ
Dr. Hyojin Ahn has enjoyed a richly diverse musical career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral keyboardist, teacher, and accompanist. A graduate of Seoul National University and the University of Michigan, she earned her doctorate in Piano Performance from Rice University in Houston, TX. After graduation, she lived in Miami Beach, Florida playing primarily with the New World Symphony and Southwest Florida Symphony while teaching at Barry University. Since she moved to the DC area in 2012, she has frequently performed with groups including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Piano Society of Greater Washington and the Inscape Chamber Orchestra. She is currently on piano faculty at the International School of Music and Montgomery College.
Dr. Ahn was a recipient of the Presser Music Award with which she participated in music festivals in France, Austria, and Italy and also played as a soloist with the Berlin RIAS youth Orchestra. She has won prizes at several competitions, including the New World Symphony Concerto Competition, the Jacob Flier International Competition, and theSamick Piano Competition. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater as part of the Millennium Stage Conservatory Project in a performance aired live on NPR nationwide. As a member of Acanthes Piano Duo, she toured the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. She also toured France and Spain with the New World Symphony Orchestra sponsored by a Parisian opera company, Opéra-Comique. Recently, she presented a lecture-recital in the College Music Society International Conference in Seoul, Korea. Along with traditional music, Hyojin Ahn is a strong advocate of new music; she has premiered several new compositions for solo piano and a variety of ensembles. She also participated in contemporary music festivals and competitions, including Centre Acanthes in France and the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in the Netherlands. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake she volunteered to teach at Holy Trinity Music School in Port-au-Prince.
Jessica McKee, Piano and Organ
Jessica McKee (formerly Stitt) completed both her M.M. and D.M.A degrees in Collaborative piano at the University of Maryland where she studied with Rita Sloan. She received her B.M. in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied piano with Logan Skelton and Douglas Humphreys and played violin in the Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed as a soloist with the Syracuse Symphony as a winner of the SSYO concerto competition. Jessica performs frequently, collaborating with both students and professionals and with groups such as the Annapolis Chamber Players, Great Noise Ensemble, Inscape, and The United States Army Field Band Chamber Group. Jessica loves to teach students of all ages and has maintained private piano studios in Maryland and VA since 2005.
Stephen Czarkowski, Cello
Stephen Czarkowski is in demand as a cellist, conductor, and educator in the Washington D.C. area and nationally. He is the principal cellist of the Maryland Lyric Opera and is called upon regularly as a substitute cellist with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. An active chamber musician, he is a member of Trio Illimuno and the Tryos Ensemble.
Mr. Czarkowski is currently on the conducting and cello faculty of Landon School. His students have won numerous local and statewide competitions, and hold principal chairs in area orchestras. During the summer he serves as Principal Cellist of the Shippensburg Festival Orchestra and teaches at Shepherd University String Camp. In the fall of 2013, Mr. Czarkowski was the soloist with the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, performing Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major, and in January 2014 performed the Bach Cello Suites at St. James Catholic Church in Charles Town, West Virginia. He has also performed as a Special Guest Artist with the Library of Congress Chorale.
Mr. Czarkowski received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Mannes College, The New School for Music, under the tutelage of Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic. He graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Graduate Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting, after receiving a full scholarship and teaching assistantship. Mr. Czarkowski graduated in the top percentile of his class from the Mannes College, The New School for Music with a Master of Music in cello (under Barbara Stein Mallow) and conducting (under David Hayes and Samuel Wong). He is a member of the Conductor’s Guild and is currently serving on the New School Alumni Association Board of Directors.
In addition to the core members above, the following musicians frequently perform with the Tryos Ensemble
In addition to the core members above, the following musicians frequently perform with the Tryos Ensemble
Brandon Almagro, Trumpet
Brandon Almagro began playing trumpet at age 12 in his hometown of New Berlin, WI. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland. Brandon has studied with Chris Gekker, Steven Hendrickson, and Dennis Najoom.
Brandon is principal trumpet with the Grammy nominated Inscape Chamber Orchestra, a position he has held for ten years. He performs frequently with the popular Philadelphia soul group, The O’Jays, as a member of their East Coast horn section. He has also performed with the Washington Symphonic Brass, Delaware Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, McLean Orchestra, Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Orchestra, and nationally with Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band. Brandon is a member of the United States Navy Band and Brass Quintet in Washington, D.C. He has been featured in the National Geographic book, Where Valor Rests: Arlington National Cemetery.
As an educator, Brandon is the adjunct professor of trumpet at Washington Adventist University and maintains a large private studio in Howard County.
Kevin Gebo, Trumpet
Kevin Gebo is an international prizewinning trumpeter as well as an active freelancer and soloist in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Kevin frequently travels as a guest performer and clinician to universities and festivals and has been on faculty at The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith's "Brass Camp", Grand Valley State University's "Trumpet Seminar", California State University-Fresno's "Trumpet Festival" and Virginia Commonwealth University as Adjunct Professor of Trumpet.
He has performed with musicians and ensembles such as Andrea Bocelli, Mannheim Steamroller, Washington Symphonic Brass, Brass Band of Battle Creek, Boston Brass, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.
Some of Kevin's most memorable experiences have been performing in the Inaugural Parade for President Barack Obama and on several live television and radio broadcasts. In December 2010 Kevin was invited by Julia Fordham and Paul Reiser to perform as a featured guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on their hit single "UnSung Hero".
Kevin received a Bachelor's Degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan, Master's Degree from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Doctorate degree from The Catholic University of America. Kevin is currently a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army.