Delta Piano Trio Welcomes New Cellist

Succeeding Irene Enzlin, cellist Nuala McKenna will join the ensemble

Violinist Gerard Spronk and pianist Vera Kooper of the Delta Piano Trio announced that its founding cellist, Irene Enzlin, will step down from the ensemble to focus on other projects.

Enzlin played with the group for ten years and reflected, "It has been an amazing time where we were all able to learn so much from each other and I’ll never forget the times we had together!”

"From our first rehearsals and lessons as students in Salzburg to the international competitions and concert tours; rehearsing in stuffy rehearsal rooms, wandering around Chinese airports, eating doughnuts in a tiny New York hotel room, always on the road with dog, instruments and suitcases, laughing our heads off whenever something went wrong," the group said of Enzlin leaving. 'We have shared our joys and sorrows for 10 years and of course we will miss making music together with Irene enormously. Fortunately, we will still see each other regularly and remain close friends. We wish Irene lots of success and happiness with all new projects and all the best for the future."

The trio has won numerous awards and prizes, including 1st prizes at the Stasys Vainiunas International Chamber Music Competition in Lithuania (2014), the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition in Italy (2014), the Orlando International Chamber Music Competition in The Netherlands (2015) and the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition in Switzerland (2017).

With about 50 concerts each season, they have performed extensively in Europe, Russia, Israel, China, Korea, Indonesia, and the United States — in venues such as the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the National Center of Performing Arts (Beijing), the Gang Dong Art Center (Seoul), St. Johns Smith Square (London) and the Jerusalem Music Center.

Their group's new cellist, Nuala McKenna, grew up in northern Germany, studied in Lübeck, Freiburg and Basel, and has lived in Amsterdam since 2013. She toured all major Dutch venues as a finalist of the Dutch Classical Talent Award and worked with musicians such as Maria João Pires, Jean-Guihen Queyras and the Talich Quartet. For her debut CD, Nuala received prestigious awards such as the 'Diapason d'Or' and 'La Clef D'Or ResMusica'; last year, she released a successful second CD featuring several 20th-century works for cello and piano. Since 2019, Nuala has been appointed solo cellist of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and combines this position with performances as a soloist and chamber musician.

"We met German-Irish cellist Nuala McKenna a few months ago and were immediately touched by her incredible playing, her passion for chamber music, her energy and contagious joy in making music," the trio writes. "We felt a strong musical and personal connection and enjoyed our first concerts together immensely.

"We are looking forward to this new chapter of the trio and can't wait for all the new musical adventures ahead!"