Brooklyn-based janus was formed in 2002 with the goal of creating and presenting new repertoire for the trio through commissioning projects and works-in-process collaborations.  Named after Janus, the Roman god whose double-faced image peers into the past and future, the trio maintains the established tradition for the instrumentation while breaking new ground into unexplored sonic frontiers.  Beginning with Debussy and including Toru Takemitsu, André Jolivet, Sophia Gubaidulina and Kaija Saariaho, composers have been allured by this intriguing combination of something bowed, something blown and something plucked.

To date, janus has added over twenty new pieces to the trio library through individual submissions and collaborative projects with universities.  Among the composers who have written for janus are Caleb Burhans, Anna Clyne, Andrew McKenna-Lee, Angélica Negrón, Jason Treuting, Dan Trueman, Dmitri Tymoczko and Barbara White.  From its inception to the present, janus has collaborated with the composition departments of Princeton, Colgate, New York, Cleveland State, Columbia and Cornell Universities.  Not limiting themselves to only universities, janus has collaborated with the Aspen Music Festival and School, presenting music activities for over 1000 children from grade school through high school.

Upcoming projects include a collaboration with Nick Zammuto (The Books) & Jason Treuting (So Percussion) that will premiere in February 2012 at the Ecstatic Music Festival in New York. janus is also working with Paul Lansky who is composing a new commission for the trio with the generous support of Chamber Music America.

Within New York City, janus has been featured at halls including Symphony Space, (le) Poisson Rouge, Joe’s Pub, WNYC’s Greene Space, The Tank, Roulette, BAM Café, The Stone, Weill Recital Hall, and the Look and Listen Festival.  Other group credits include performances at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Spark Festival (Minneapolis), Bowling Green State University (OH), the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts (CO), the Columbus Art Museum and the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series (Chicago).

janus is a New Amsterdam Records artist and can be heard on their debut release i am not. They are also featured on Gravity and Air – a release from fellow New Amsterdam Records artist, Andrew McKenna Lee.

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