The Janaki String Trio was founded at the

Colburn School The Colburn School is a private music school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Dance Academy. It is located adjac ...

in 2005. The

string trio A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cel ...

is based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

. The Janaki quickly rose to prominence with a repertoire displaying a vast range from

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ...

. In 2006, the Janaki won the

Concert Artists Guild The Concert Artists Guild is an American musical institution, based in New York City and established in 1951. It is dedicated to discovering and nurturing musical talent, and helping musicians start careers. It provides scholarships and grants, and ...

International Competition, becoming the first string trio to receive the honor since 197

Members of the Janaki have studied with

Kim Kashkashian Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She is recognized as one of the world's top violists. She has spent her career in the US and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy ...

, Isodore Cohen, Sylvia Rosenberg, and the Guarneri Quartet, the

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. It has received nume ...

, the

Cleveland Quartet The Cleveland Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 by violinist Donald Weilerstein, at the time an instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, whose director Victor Babin had secured funding for an in-resident quartet (the institute's f ...

, the

Orion String Quartet The Orion String Quartet is a string quartet formed in 1987. It is the quartet-in-residence of New York's Mannes College The New School for Music. The members are Todd and Daniel Phillips, brothers who alternate on first and second violin, violis ...

, and the Takacs Quartet. Currently, the Janaki studies individually and collectively with

Robert Lipsett Robert Crawford Lipsett Jr. (born October 23, 1947) is a violin teacher in Los Angeles, California. He holds the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. He also serves on the faculty at the Aspen School ...

Paul Coletti Paul Coletti (born 1959 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish viola soloist and chamber musician. He has performed throughout the world, making solo appearances at the Sydney Opera House, Queen Elizabeth Hall (London) and Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires). He h ...

, and Ronald Leonard.

Members

Violin

* Serena McKinney

Viola

*Katie Kadarauch

Violoncello

Arnold Choi

Awards and recognition

*Winner, 2006 Concert Artists Guild International Competitio

*Recipient, 2006 BMI Foundation Commission Prize (awarded through Concert Artists Guild

*Winner, 2005 Annual Coleman Chamber Music Competitio

Recordings

*Wanhal (Vanhal) Quartets:

Uwe Grodd Uwe Grodd (born 29 November 1958 in Stuttgart) is a German conductor and flautist, currently living in Auckland (New Zealand). He has performed and recorded internationally for over 25 years. Grodd conducted the gala opening night of the Hande ...

and the Janaki String Trio.

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

(2007) *The Janaki String Trio: Beethoven, Penderecki, and Barabba. Yarlung Records (2006

String trios {{Classical-ensemble-stub