The Hungarian pianist Hanna Devich, the Dutch cellist Jasper Havelaar and the South African violinist Sarah Oates met in 2003. After their first performance in Germany, the three were convinced they had found the ideal chamber music partners. Since then they have been performing regularly, and in a short time have managed to show a very impressive repertoire list. In their quest for their own musical voice they have been supported by experienced masters including Sandor Devich, Istvan Parkanyi and Eberhard Feltz. The number of concert engagements is increasing every year, with bookings in Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Hungary, South Africa and the United States. In 2005 the trio won the public prize at the Uitmarkt in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
In November 2004 their first CD The Czech Legacy, was released, with works by Dvorak, Novak and Suk, to an enthusiastic reception by the press, followed by their second CD in 2006 The Czech Legacy II with works by Dvorak and Smetana. This CD was voted for a number of weeks number one in the top 50 in the Dutch TROS classical radio station. In February 2007 they recorded a CD: Tango Romances of tangos, by Piazzola and Bragato, which was released in September 2007.
Future projects include the final CD of the Czech Legacy series, and a Shostakovich CD series.
The pianist Hanna Devich, daughter of the famous violinist Sandor Devich, was born in Budapest, and was invited at the tender age of ten to join the young talent class of the Franz Liszt Academy. Here she received her soloist diploma cum laude in 1991. She received masterclasses from György Sebök, Sultán Kocsis and György Kurtág. Hanna Devich has been living in the Netherlands for a number of years and is well loved as a concert pianist, having performed and recorded extensively as soloist and chamber musician. As a member of the Ensemble Contrasten, Hanna won the third prize in the International Chamber music competition of Caltanisetta. In 2005 Hanna made the first recording of the piano concerto by Geza Frid for Hungaroton. Together with soprano Vera Lansink she formed a duo performing 18th and 19th century arias and lieder, as well as songs by Gerswin, Bernstein, and Porter. She also is an experienced chamber music coach.
Sarah Oates was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She started the violin at the age of nine with Louis van der Watt at the Hugo Lambrecht Music centre in Cape Town. At the age of fourteen Sarah was the winner of the Naional Huguenot competition as well as the National High School music competition. In 1992 she received a scholarship to study with Yossi Zivoni at the Purcell school of music in London, and later at the Royal Northern College of music. Sarah continued her studies with Pinchas Zukerman at the Manhattan School of music and with Alexander Kerr in Amsterdam.
Sarah has performed many violin concertos with various orchestras, including the Royal Flanders Philharmonic, RNCM Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Youth orchestra, the Cape Town Philharmonic, and the Natal Philharmonic. In 1999 Sarah was invited to the Sante Fe chamber music festival in New Mexico, where she performed with Pinchas Zukerman. In 2002 she was a prizewinner in the Vriendenkrans competition of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. From January 2008 Sarah will be the new concertmaster of the Holland Symfonia Orchestra. Sarah plays a Gennaro Gagliano violin made in Naples, 1758.
Jasper Havelaar received his first cello lessons at the age of eight. As a teenager he received lessons from Ubaldo Arcari. In 1989 he was the first prize winner in the regional category of the Princess Christina Competition. After finishing school Jasper chose to study at the Technical University in Delft, but in 1994 realized that the cello was his first love. He joined the Rotterdam Conservatory where he studied with Ubaldo Arcari, Herre-Jan Stegenga en Ad van Dongen. Jasper also received masterclasses from Colin Carr, Jerome Lowenthal and Marti Roussi. From 1998 Jasper was a member of the Phoenix string trio, which performed extensively in Holland and abroad, and won the first prize in the International Aberdeen Music Festival Chamber Music Competition. Jasper is a member of the Residentie Orchestra (The Hague Philharmonic)