Summa Trio
Biography Summa Trio
Carl Vollrath
Born in New York City to German parents, Carl Vollrath attended Newton High School. He received a B.A. from Stetson University, a M.A. from Columbia University, and the ED.D from Florida State University. Vollrath studied composition with Ernst von Dohnanyi, Carlisle Floyd, and John Boda. He served with the West Point Military Band at West Point NY from 1953 to 1956 and was a music consultant in Miami FL from 1956 to 1958. He joined the Troy University (AL) faculty in 1965.
Major works include 6 symphonies for band, an opera – The Quest – and a large collection of chamber music, all published by Tap Music (tapmusic@tapmusic.com). MMC Recordings has released three albums of Vollrath’s works, including a 2-disc album of clarinet works recorded by Richard Stoltzman entitled Jack’s Fat Cat (2008). His most recent releases by Navona Records include Past Recollections (2015), and Lingering Longings (2016).
Summa Trio
Los Angeles-based SUMMA TRIO—founded by Boston Conservatory alumnae and friends Jennifer Bewerse, Maiani da Silva, and Karolina Rojahn—is the only piano trio in California solely devoted to the performance and recording of contemporary works. Pioneers in the new music scene, the members of Summa have premiered and commissioned over 200 new works by living composers and recorded over 50 albums of contemporary music. They have collaborated with composers such as Louis Andriessen, Jennifer Higdon, Marti Epstein, Julia Wolfe, George Lewis, Gunther Schuller, Andy Vores, and Augusta Read Thomas, among others. The members of Summa have also gone on to play as guests with ensembles such as Wild Up, Eighth Blackbird, Bang On A Can, WasteLAnd concert series, Merge Collaborative, Calithumpian Consort, Southland, Ludovico Ensemble, and Juventas Ensemble. Their diverse artistic interests have also brought them to perform in interdisciplinary settings, collaborating with dancers, painters, poets, video artists and further expanding beyond classical music with artists like Taylor Mac, Björk, Ros Warby, My Brightest Diamond, Los Angeles Ballet, and Peter Gabriel. Summa’s mission is to bring to the forefront the works of contemporary composers that reflect unique voices of our time.
“It is rare to work with a composer who allows room for complete artistic freedom of interpretation and expression. Carl’s open-minded approach provided the perfect balance between compositional intent and technical execution, allowing us to bring the essence of the music to the forefront. Thanks to PARMA’s incomparable production team we were live-streamed, enabling invaluable real-time exchanges with Carl throughout the sessions.” - Karolina Rojahn
