Mockingbird Chamber Ensemble

Jurgen Schweitering:  Violin

Mike Joseph:  Vibraphone

Burt Strompf:  Lyric Tuba

Reviews

Monterey Bach Festival:  "This first class ensemble play like angels.  They were uniformly full of musical delights thanks to the artistry of these unusually imaginative, daring and gifted musicians.  One realized how much effort these fine musicians had put into their program, how hard a task they had set for themselves and how good they are." Nathalie Plotkin, The Monterey Peninsula Herald

UCLA, Schoenberg Hall:  "The three New York based instrumentalists are classically trained virtuosos, with nothing jazzy about their playing.  Strompf is a genuinely lyric tubist of remarkable finesse and agility who serves in the manner of a string bass in the combination.  Joseph uses the vibraphone with demonic skill, avoiding electrical vibrato while filling in and fleshing out figured bass harmonies.  Schweitering approaches the violin with an unfailing passion."  Walter Arlen, Los Angeles Times

"A Charming Alternative Idea....More than a Mockingbird's Song"  Ann Holmes, Houston Chronicle

• Links to Music Downloads

J.S. Bach:  Little Fugue in G Minor

Haydn:  London Trio in C Major

Corelli:  Trio Sonata in E Minor Op.2#4

Chopin:  Nocturne in D Flat

Dohnanyi:  March Opus 10 

Satie:  Cold Piece 

Telemann:  Trio Sonata in E Minor

Handel:  Trio Sonata in A Major Op.5#1

Reviews

Gardner Museum, Boston:  Mockingbird Magic        "It was the philosopher Wittgenstein who said on the subject of reality, that the miraculous thing was not how things were, but that they were.  And much the same is true of the Mockingbird Chamber Ensemble, whose virtuosic playing is just a shade less phenomenal than the fact that they play at all.  The MCE consists of Jurgen Schweitering, Michael Joseph and Burt Strompf, who play, respectively, violin, vibraphone and lyric tuba, an instrumental combination hitherto unknown in the annals of musical science.  And it's neatly done, too.  These players are masters of their instruments and they have sound interpretive reflexes."  Richard Bell, Boston Globe Correspondent