Ensemble Avalon is a fresh and dynamic piano trio featuring three of Ireland's finest internationally accomplished soloists and chamber musicians. Since its inaugural concert in the summer of 2006 the trio has enjoyed a number of successes including critically acclaimed concert tours and series, a performance in Italy and several broadcasts on radio and television. Originating from both Northern Ireland and the Republic, all three members are 1^st class honours laureates of prestigious colleges, they have studied intensively in Ireland, the UK, France and the US between them and currently live in three different countries. The three members of Ensemble Avalon each enjoy an active solo and chamber career and they have created the ensemble as a means to discovering and performing new and exciting piano trio repertoire together. The trio is delighted to have been invited to join Music Network's Musicwide artist roster following the success of its February 2007 tour, which was generously funded in part by Music Network's recently implemented Performance and Touring Award.

Following a well-received performance at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin during its last tour, Ensemble Avalon was invited back to artistically direct and perform a series of concerts at the Gallery in November and December 2007. The trio titled the project 'An American in Paris' and presented a contrasting selection of French and American piano trios throughout the series. Ensemble Avalon is currently looking forward to its third national concert tour to take place next February, meanwhile it is also busy arranging a fourth tour for the summer of 2008 and is looking forward to a BBC radio recording and broadcast later in the year. RTÉ 's Lyric fm and Ensemble Avalon are currently collaborating on an extended recording and broadcast project to include the 'American in Paris' series, Ensemble Avalon's February 2008 tour of Ireland and other upcoming events. With a hugely diverse repertoire ranging from Haydn to Piazzolla already in place, the trio is committed to supporting contemporary music and look forward to commissioning a work from an Irish composer. Future plans also include a recording project, a tour of the US in March 2009 and further performances in the Netherlands, the UK, Spain and Italy.

The Avalon Winter Chamber Festival is an exciting new event realised in association with Music for Wexford and currently supported by the Arts Council and Lyric fm. Themed 'Beethoven and Bax', the inaugural festival takes place over the last weekend in November 2008 and features highlights from both composers alongside chamber classics and more unusual works and includes collaborations with guest artists from Ireland and abroad. Ensemble Avalon plans to release its debut CD next autumn as a sister event to the Festival.

Ensemble Avalon gratefully acknowledges the generous ongoing support of Music Network, the Arts Council of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, RTÉ 's Lyric fm and Music for Wexford.

Ioana Petcu-Colan - Violin.
An Irish violinist of Romanian origin, Ioana is an established soloist and chamber musician travelling internationally to perform from her current home in Barcelona.

Ioana's solo appearances with orchestra have featured Khachaturian, Shostakovitch, Bruch, Beethoven, Mozart and both Prokofiev Violin Concertos as well as works by Saint-Saëns, Wieniaswki, Mozart and Sarasate and concertos by Bach performed both on modern and baroque violin. Ioana is soloist on two CDs released by RTÉ and was invited to premier 'Elastic Harmonic' for Violin and Orchestra by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy on Irish national television.

A keen chamber musician, Ioana is former 1^st violin and founder member of the Callino Quartet with whom she enjoyed a full and varied performing career spanning seven years including concert tours, festival appearances and recordings, the latest release being 'Veer', a disc of Ian Wilson's string quartets. In duo partnership she had performed the complete Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonata cycle and has performed most of the major duo repertoire extensively. As a chamber musician, she has performed in such prestigious venues as London's Wigmore Hall, Dublin's National Concert Hall and Manchester's Bridgewater Hall and at many international festivals - Cheltenham, Ryedale, Bergen, Heidelberg Fruhlungs, West Cork Chamber Music, Kilkenny Arts, Clandeboye, Sligo New Music, 'Up North' and others. Ioana is currently a member of Ensemble Avalon and of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and is guest violinist with various ensembles.

Ioana's studies took her from Ireland through France, obtaining the Premier Prix á l'Unanimité at the age of sixteen, to the UK where she was awarded a 1^st class Honours BMus degree from the London royal Academy of Music before returning to Ireland to receive a 1^st class MA in Performance from the Cork School of Music.

Ioana plays on an Italian violin, built by Goffredo Cappa in 1695.

Gerald Peregrine - Cello.
Gerald Peregrine is one of Irelands' leading young musicians. The youngest member of a well-known Irish musical family, his mother is the violinist Sheila O'Grady, his uncle the late great tenor Frank Patterson. Gerald began studying violin at the age of 3, but quickly fell in love with the cello at the age of 6.

Having studied in Ireland, Gerald began commuting regularly to London at the age of 15 for tuition with the late mentor William Pleeth, the former teacher to Jacqueline Du Pre. At the age of 18 he was awarded a Foundation scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music, London, with the renowned American pedagogue Steven Doane. Having gained a 1^st class honours degree, Gerald was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to continue his studies at Indiana University, receiving tuition from Emilio Colon and Janos Starker. In 2007 he received a first class honours Masters from Limerick University, where he was RTÉ Lyric fm Artist in Residence during his studies.

In 1996 Gerald won the String Category of the RTÉ young musician of the future. He was awarded many Arts Council Scholarships to assist with his tuition, as well as several college prizes.

On his return to Ireland Gerald was awarded the prestigious National Concert Hall Debut Recital, which he gave to acclaim in 2003. Gerald has been busy building a career as a soloist and chamber musician. He has made many broadcasts in Ireland, for RTÉ and BBC radio and television.

He has appeared as soloist with both Irish National Youth Orchestras, the National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the Orchestra of Saint Cecilia. He presented two successful recital series at the National Concert Hall, featuring the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven, Bach and Brahms, broadcast by Lyric fm. Recent highlights have included performances at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, the Camerata Ireland Clandeboye Festival, as well as trio recitals in France, London, Portugal, Spain, Italy and around Ireland.

Gerald is a founding member of Ensemble Avalon, with Ioana Petcu-Colan and Michael McHale. The trio are quickly establishing a strong reputation, with upcoming concert tours in Ireland, Holland, North America and the U.K. They are represented in Ireland by Music Network. See www.ensembleavalon.net for more information.

September 2007 saw the release of Gerald's first commercial CD, 'Heavenly', a collection of popular jazz standards. The release was accompanied by a national tour. More information can be found at www.geraldperegrine.com.

Michael McHale - Piano.
One of the leading young Irish pianists of his generation, Michael McHale's playing has been described as 'beautifully proportioned' (Washington Post) and 'instantly engaging' (The Times).

After graduating from Cambridge University with a double first-class honours degree in Music, Michael went on to study piano with Christopher Elton at the Royal Academy of Music as holder of the EMI Music Sound Foundation Scholarship. A former student of John O'Conor and Reamonn Keary at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, he won the 2004 Camerata Ireland Musician of the Year, and was winner of the Brennan and Field Prizes at the 2006 AXA Dublin International Piano Competition.

Michael was featured as a 'rising star' in International Piano magazine as a result of his performance of two Mozart concertos with the Halle Orchestra at the 'Piano 2006' international festival at Manchester. He has performed throughout the UK and Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Hungary and the USA, including several broadcast performances for BBC Radio 3 and RTÉ Radio. Highlights include Beethoven Concertos 3,4 and 5 with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, a recent highly successful debut recital in Washington DC and four performances of Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos with Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland.

Engagements this season include Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in Berlin and Dresden, a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast with Sir James Galway, a concerto debut with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and solo recitals in the National Concert Hall, Dublin and Leighton House, London.

Michael is grateful to Camerata Ireland/Accenture, the Musicians' Benevolent Fund, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Making Music and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for supporting his performing career.