ABOUT DAMSELFLY
Image by Maurice Gunning, 2018
The Damselfly Trio - Liz Pearse, soprano; Chelsea Czuchra, flutes; and Lindsay Buffington, harp - is a mobile chamber ensemble dedicated to the music of contemporary composers and poets/writers. Continuing the work begun by The Jubal Trio, Damselfly is committed to commissioning, performing, and promoting contemporary chamber music for their unique instrumentation. To this aim, they have worked with a number of composers and poets from both sides of the Atlantic. Founded in 2017, Damselfly Trio is based in the US and Switzerland, conducting concert and educational activities throughout the US and Europe.
In recent seasons, Damselfly Trio has performed throughout Switzerland, Ireland, the UK and the US. Their concert appearances have taken them to a wide range of venues, including: Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Irish World Academy, Wild Atlantic Words Festival, Rehmann Museum, the Bank of the Arts in New Bern, NC, and digitally at the University of Liverpool. They have also been heard over the air on BBC Northern Ireland.
In 2018, Damselfly held a performance residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire, USA (where they were inspired by local insect life to name their trio). The trio has given masterclasses and workshops at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, East Carolina University, Maynooth University, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, as well as appearing virtually at the University of North Texas. Since 2018, Damselfly has given outreach concerts in public schools in eastern North Carolina under the auspices of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival.
Upcoming collaborations include projects with Swiss composer Alfred Zimmerlin and poet Ingrid Fichtner, and Korean-Swiss composer Junghae Lee. Damselfly has also enjoyed a long working relationship with Pulitzer Prize nominee Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, who has created new settings from his cantata Comala for the trio, as well as a new piece inspired by Juan Rulfo's epic text.
Damselfly’s largest project to-date is Buaine na Gaoithe, a 30 minute song cycle created by the Irish team of composer Ryan Molloy and poet Martin Dyar. After tours in the US, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Switzerland, Damselfly Trio’s recording of Buaine na Gaoithe was released in July 2021 by the National University of Ireland.
In 2022-2023, Damselfly Trio's planned activities include concert appearances in upstate NY, Toronto, Chicago, Germany and Switzerland. In addition, they will record Zohn-Muldoon’s Songs from Comala. The trio will record their next album in 2022, featuring music by Ursula Mamlok, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Alfred Zimmerlin and Junghae Lee.
Damselfly Trio has received support from an international roster of organizations including Arts Council Ireland, Aargauer Kuratorium, the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Stiftung, and the Swiss Cultural Fund UK.
In recent seasons, Damselfly Trio has performed throughout Switzerland, Ireland, the UK and the US. Their concert appearances have taken them to a wide range of venues, including: Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Irish World Academy, Wild Atlantic Words Festival, Rehmann Museum, the Bank of the Arts in New Bern, NC, and digitally at the University of Liverpool. They have also been heard over the air on BBC Northern Ireland.
In 2018, Damselfly held a performance residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire, USA (where they were inspired by local insect life to name their trio). The trio has given masterclasses and workshops at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, East Carolina University, Maynooth University, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, as well as appearing virtually at the University of North Texas. Since 2018, Damselfly has given outreach concerts in public schools in eastern North Carolina under the auspices of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival.
Upcoming collaborations include projects with Swiss composer Alfred Zimmerlin and poet Ingrid Fichtner, and Korean-Swiss composer Junghae Lee. Damselfly has also enjoyed a long working relationship with Pulitzer Prize nominee Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, who has created new settings from his cantata Comala for the trio, as well as a new piece inspired by Juan Rulfo's epic text.
Damselfly’s largest project to-date is Buaine na Gaoithe, a 30 minute song cycle created by the Irish team of composer Ryan Molloy and poet Martin Dyar. After tours in the US, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Switzerland, Damselfly Trio’s recording of Buaine na Gaoithe was released in July 2021 by the National University of Ireland.
In 2022-2023, Damselfly Trio's planned activities include concert appearances in upstate NY, Toronto, Chicago, Germany and Switzerland. In addition, they will record Zohn-Muldoon’s Songs from Comala. The trio will record their next album in 2022, featuring music by Ursula Mamlok, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Alfred Zimmerlin and Junghae Lee.
Damselfly Trio has received support from an international roster of organizations including Arts Council Ireland, Aargauer Kuratorium, the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Stiftung, and the Swiss Cultural Fund UK.
