ABOUT DAMSELFLY

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. Inspired in part by the Jubal Trio’s commissions in the 1980’s, Damselfly has set out to commission, perform and record a new body of music and text for their unique ensemble by composers and poets from around the world. Founded in 2017, Damselfly Trio is based in the US and Switzerland, with concert and educational activities throughout the US and Europe.
In recent seasons, the 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: in the US at Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center in Asheville, Bank of the Arts in New Bern, University of North Carolina-Wilmington; in Ireland at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, Irish World Academy in Limerick, Wild Atlantic Words Festival in Castlebar; in Northern Ireland at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University in Derry, and in Switzerland at the Rehmann Museum, Villa Boveri and the Zunftsaal Schmiedenhof Basel.
Damselfly has appeared live on Radio BBC NI in Belfast. The trio held a 2018 performance residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire, USA. Damselfly has given masterclasses and workshops at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, East Carolina University, Maynooth University and Queen’s University Belfast. Since 2018, Damselfly has given outreach concerts in public schools in eastern North Carolina under the auspices of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival.
Recent collaborations have been with Swiss composer Alfred Zimmerlin and poet Ingrid Fichtner, and Chicago-based composer Pierce Gradone. Since 2016, Damselfly has worked with Pulitzer Prize nominee Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon on new settings from his cantata “Comala.” 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. Damselfly Trio’s recording of “Buaine na Gaoithe'' is set for release in 2021 by the National University of Ireland.
For the upcoming season 2021-2022, Damselfly Trio has commissioned composers including Junghae Lee, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon and Alfred Zimmerlin. Performances will take place at venues and festivals in central and northern Switzerland.
In 2022-2023, Damselfly Trio activities will 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 release their first album in 2022, featuring music by Ursula Mamlok, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Alfred Zimmerlin and Junghae Lee.
Damselfly Trio has been awarded grants from the Arts Council Ireland, Aargauer Kuratorium, Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Stiftung, and the Swiss Cultural Fund UK.
In recent seasons, the 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: in the US at Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center in Asheville, Bank of the Arts in New Bern, University of North Carolina-Wilmington; in Ireland at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, Irish World Academy in Limerick, Wild Atlantic Words Festival in Castlebar; in Northern Ireland at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University in Derry, and in Switzerland at the Rehmann Museum, Villa Boveri and the Zunftsaal Schmiedenhof Basel.
Damselfly has appeared live on Radio BBC NI in Belfast. The trio held a 2018 performance residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampshire, USA. Damselfly has given masterclasses and workshops at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, East Carolina University, Maynooth University and Queen’s University Belfast. Since 2018, Damselfly has given outreach concerts in public schools in eastern North Carolina under the auspices of the Carolina Chamber Music Festival.
Recent collaborations have been with Swiss composer Alfred Zimmerlin and poet Ingrid Fichtner, and Chicago-based composer Pierce Gradone. Since 2016, Damselfly has worked with Pulitzer Prize nominee Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon on new settings from his cantata “Comala.” 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. Damselfly Trio’s recording of “Buaine na Gaoithe'' is set for release in 2021 by the National University of Ireland.
For the upcoming season 2021-2022, Damselfly Trio has commissioned composers including Junghae Lee, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon and Alfred Zimmerlin. Performances will take place at venues and festivals in central and northern Switzerland.
In 2022-2023, Damselfly Trio activities will 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 release their first album in 2022, featuring music by Ursula Mamlok, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Alfred Zimmerlin and Junghae Lee.
Damselfly Trio has been awarded grants from the Arts Council Ireland, Aargauer Kuratorium, Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Stiftung, and the Swiss Cultural Fund UK.