Trioz - Interview

Trioz tours Australia several times a year, taking chamber music down the Hume Highway all the way to Melbourne, three women at a time. Violinist Niki Vasilakis is known to SBS viewers across the country from their Classical Destinations series; cellist Emma-Jane Murphy was formerly principal cellist at the Australian Chamber Orchestra; and concert pianist Kathryn Selby has masterminded thousands of concerts as an entrepreneur. Time Out Sydney spoke to Selby, Trioz's artistic director.

Kathryn, you're each distinguished musicians in your own right. Do you get on well together, or are there too many prima donnas? We really like each other, which is a truthful and honest statement. We like spending time with each other, and it seems to be reflected in our playing. People who write to us say they love the interaction on stage. In music you can't fake that.

Your concerts are so popular in Sydney that you have to repeat them. Why not just get a bigger space? I think the whole point of chamber music gets lost when you go into a large venue. People were meant to be in close proximity with each other, in a room – that's what  chamber music means. And that's how it started: you invited people over for a meal or a drink or just for company, and you basically did some jamming, with a lot of improvisation. Then it became more formalised.

Does the audience appreciate being close to the action? Yes. People don't like being far away; they miss seeing expressions on faces and interaction between players. It's vital to the experience because we're such a visually oriented society. Orchestras these days often add drop-down screens or provide something to look at, rather than sitting listening with your eyes closed. Most chamber music was composed for a small room with maybe 20 people in it, now it's being stretched to 200 or 2,000 people.

You're opening your September concert with Schubert's Nocturne in E flat. That's a crowd-pleaser isn't it? Yes: in the ABC's Classic 100 Survey, it's the top trio, and number three of all chamber music pieces. This programme is full of big melodies: when you walk out you won't be able to figure out which one you want to sing first.

Tell us about the two Sydney venues we can choose from. The City Recital Hall is an extraordinary venue: the acoustic is superb, the environment is perfect, you're looked after by a superlative staff. It's unusual in that you're in an large venue seating 1,200 people and yet it's designed in the old European Opera House style where you feel very close to the audience and they feel close to you. The Turramurra Uniting Church is a very nice venue. It's a modern church, not the rectangular wooden pews reaching back a long way; it's an unusual geometric shape. Everyone can see everyone, there's a lot of natural light and it's warm. It's a very good venue, particularly for a Sunday afternoon when people don't want to travel far away. It's world-class music in your back yard.

Your November concert includes a piece by Miriam Hyde. What made you choose that piece? I knew Miriam when I was very young and she was extremely supportive of me as a concert pianist. She was a huge influence on the Australian music education scene; she lived a long life and left a big volume of music for young people learning music. She was a very shy, quiet woman, but I adored her. The piece is a fantasy on Waltzing Matilda. It's her love affair with Australia. She lived in England but came back to Australia and made it her home. I think this piece was her way of saying, "I love you."

Trioz perform at the Turramurra Uniting Church, Turramurra on Sun 27 Sep.

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