Mastering the mystery: the world of Trio con Brio Copenhagen

By Signe Hansen

For more than 20 years, Trio con Brio Copenhagen has been captivating international audiences with acclaimed interpretations of the classics and bold collaborations with contemporary composers. Yet, to many, chamber music remains unexplored, even slightly mysterious. Rather than fighting that perception, the trio embraces the mystery to draw in new audiences and to channel what they call the fourth person: an energetic being that appears through musical interplay.

Formed in Vienna in 1999, Trio con Brio Copenhagen unites pianist Jens Elvekjær from Denmark with the Korean sisters Soo-Jin Hong on violin and Soo-Kyung Hong on cello. The three were still studying when they met, but from the first notes played together, they knew they had found something unique. “When we played for the first time, it was immediate,” says Elvekjær. “It was a combination of something deeply personal and the joy of playing together. In music, as in all fields, chemistry plays an enormous role. When you experience that magic of playing with others, something special happens, and you just go all in. And that’s exactly what happened with us – there was something you can’t explain. Music, more than many other art forms, has that mysterious element you can’t quite put into words.”

That spark became the foundation for a career spanning more than 25 years, marked by extensive tours across Europe, North America, and Asia, and appearances at leading venues from Carnegie Hall to Concertgebouw. Moreover, the trio’s recordings have become benchmarks in the repertoire, with their album of Shostakovich and Arensky trios winning multiple prestigious awards and accolades, and their earlier complete Beethoven piano trios receiving enthusiastic international praise.

Photo: Nikolaj Lund

A partnership on and off stage

For the trio, the bond has only deepened over the years, and the creative energy continues to flow. Just before forming the trio, Elvekjær and Soo-Kyung became a couple and later married, giving the ensemble a rare level of intimacy both on and off stage. This closeness, Elvekjær believes, has shaped their music: “When you play with people you know so deeply, the trust is absolute. It allows the music to breathe in a different way, with a kind of shared intuition that you cannot rehearse into existence.”

That intuition has become their hallmark. Whether interpreting Ravel or premiering new works by Scandinavian composers such as Per Nørgård and Bent Sørensen, the trio is recognised for an intensity that combines precision with emotional openness. Each performance is characterised by that instinctive dialogue between the three musicians. Moreover, the trio has become known for their engaging children’s concerts and innovative musical productions, combining the theatrical and the musical. Among other accolades, their work has earned them the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Award, one of Denmark’s most prestigious prizes.

Trio con Brio Copenhagen and actor Søren Sætter-Lassen bring Niels Klim’s Underground Journey to life, weaving the classic text into dialogue with carefully selected works of classical music performed live on stage. Photo: Julia Severinsen

Opening up the mystery

Beyond the concert stage, the trio also serves as educators and artistic directors of festivals in Denmark and abroad, curating programmes that allow the three musicians to evolve and expand their repertoire. “We believe chamber music has to speak to today’s listeners. By rethinking context, repertoire, and presentation, we try to make each performance feel like an encounter – something alive, not a repetition,” says Elvekjær, and adds: “Our festival, Chamber Music at Lundsgaard, gives us a chance to explore and try out new things with an audience that we know and trust, but we also bring some of that innovation to the big stages.”

This September, the ensemble launches its New Voices series with three distinct performances that reflect its vision for chamber music as a living form. On 7 September, they give the Danish premiere of Louise Alenius’s Anatomy of Apathy at Musikhuset Aarhus, inviting audiences into an immersive encounter with new music. Then, on 21 September, they open their programming to families with a children’s concert at Hellerup Chamber Music Society.

Photo: Nikolaj Lund

“Our goal is to draw in as many as possible, and that is why we work in so many different settings. I believe that once people get that first experience, they will feel that there is something happening in the music that is difficult to explain. It’s the creation of an extra being; in our case, a fourth entity,” says Elvekjær, and rounds off: “It’s incredibly fascinating, and it feels especially important in today’s digital world: to create a space where you encounter something a little mysterious, yet deeply rewarding, because it also comes with rare sense of calm.”

Photo: Julia Severinsen | Mastering the mystery: the world of Trio con Brio Copenhagen