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 thirty 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, Barbara White, and Nick Zammuto.  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 1,000 children from grade school through high school.

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, the Ecstatic Music Festival, 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.  They are currently working on their next album which is due for release in Fall 2013.

Season highlights of 2012-13 include the premiere of Paul Lansky’s Book of Memory (made possible with support through Chamber Music America) and collaborations with composers Cenk Ergun, Daniel Wohl, Roshanne Etezady, Daniel Kellogg, Orianna Webb, Caroline Mallonée, Carl Schimmel, and Adam Silverman.  The trio will embark on two tours visiting Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

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