For the Albers sisters — violinist Laura, violist Rebecca and cellist Julie — performing in Colorado is a homecoming of sorts.
“We grew up in Longmont in a fairly musical family,” said Rebecca, 26, the youngest member of the Albers Trio, who appear tonight at the Lakewood Cultural Center. “Our mom (Ellie Albers LeRoux ) is a Suzuki violin teacher. Our dad passed away, but he was the choir director at Skyline High School.”
All their lives, the sisters have been making music together in one form or another — from busking on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall and playing in the Denver Young Artists Orchestra to performing in some of New York’s most prestigious venues, Wigmore Hall in London and the National Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan.
“None of us were made to play an instrument, but we all showed interest around age 2,” said Rebecca. “We understood early on that it was a privilege to play. The rule was that we had to practice an hour every day . . . and if we didn’t practice, we had to pay for our music lessons. The only times we didn’t practice were our birthdays and Christmas.”
That discipline paid off.
Laura, 32, earned degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, and is the associate concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera. She’s also an Ironman triathlete.
Rebecca, who studied with James Maurer in Denver, previously appeared on the Lakewood stage with violinist Mark O’Connor. She teaches at the University of Michigan School of Music Theatre and Dance. And Julie, 29, debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra at age 17 and has appeared twice as soloist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
“In 2006, we were all in New York at the same time and acknowledged that we really like playing together, that we have a really great time,” Rebecca said. “We realized we have a close connection as sisters, which translates to a strong artistic connection. We’re in tune to one another emotionally, and we know intuitively what the others are thinking or feeling.
“So we decided to form a trio.”
Given the sisters’ far-flung lives, however, their part-time commitment to the Albers Trio requires careful planning.
“We have to schedule everything at least a year in advance,” said Rebecca. “We plan our repertoire together, and every year we like to play a work by a living composer.”
Indeed, alongside works by Mozart and Beethoven, the ensemble will perform “Tathata” composed by Ross Bauer of the University of California, Davis.
“The title denotes the way things are in truth or actuality,” Rebecca said. “Our biggest challenge with ‘Tathata’ is integrating the shifting, intangibility of the rhythms into the overall flow of the piece. It’s hard to hold on to the downbeats.”
Such challenges notwithstanding, the Albers Trio keeps it all in perspective. “We just love playing together; it’s an excuse to see one another,” Rebecca said. “And we’re excited to come home to Colorado. There’s definitely something different, something special about playing for our home audience.”
The Albers Trio
Chamber music. The trio of sisters presents Mozart’s Divertimento in E-flat Major, K. 563, Beethoven’s String Trio in D Major, Op. 9, No. 2 and Ross Bauer’s “Tathata.” Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood. 7:30 tonight. 8 p.m.
