About Us
The Newstead Trio has captivated audiences worldwide, from New York; London; Budapest; Lhasa, Tibet; Florence, Tuscany; Shanghai and Beijing. They gave their concerto debut performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in Shenzhen, China. The Trio made its New York debut to a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall in 2000, has performed at Lincoln Center, and has been broadcast live worldwide on radio and television. Arnold Steinhardt, a founder of the Guarneri String Quartet observes, “They play with fine ensemble, youthful energy, and thoughtful musicality.”
The Newstead Trio’s innovative and unique concert programming combines traditional piano trio literature with more contemporary works. In addition, they have performed customized residency activities at college campuses spanning the United States and in China, and have been requested as a resident ensemble for various festivals in China, Italy, and the United States. These presentations are characterized by a dramatic variety and have been enjoyed by a wide array of audiences, from students well versed in the art of music to audiences who had never before been exposed to classical chamber music. Of their recent residency at Dartmouth College, Joe Clifford, Outreach and Arts Education Manager, says, “Michael, Sara and Xun…did wonders to show audiences that chamber music (whether classical or contemporary) is a vivid genre, alive with the human spirit.”
The Newstead Trio has also commissioned numerous works by highly respected composers such as Robert Starer and Chen Yi, and has included a world premier performance in many of their six CD. Of their Mozart CD release, Audiophile critic Tom Gibbs writes, “This disc represents among the very finest trio recordings I’ve ever heard; their playing of this oft-recorded Mozart repertory is peerless…”
The Newstead Trio have performed to sold out con cert halls from Carnegie Hall in New York to the National Performing Arts Center in Beijing. They are members of Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour have had the distinct pleasure to have been named Ambassador for the Qinghai Zongheng Culture and Arts Development Company in China.
Biographies
Michael Jamanis, Violin
Michael Jamanis received a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers University. He has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career, including the Lincoln Center, Victor Herbert, and Metro- Media Awards. In addition, he has worked with such artists as Leonard Bernstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Bernard Greenhouse and Joseph Fuchs. Jamanis is a founding member of the acclaimed Newstead Trio and has performed in major concert halls worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician. Instrumental and innovative in offering musically enriching experiences to diverse audiences around the world, Michael Jamanis has provided educational classes and performances from inner city school programs to colleges and music conservatories. Dr. Jamanis is a visiting professor at China Northwest University for Nationalities and a senior adjunct assistant professor at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Sara Male, Cello
Canadian cellist Sara Male received an Associate of the Arts in Music degree from the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Canada, where she was presented the Principal Emeritus Prize. Her major teachers include Jim Hunter, Bernard Greenhouse, Zara Nelsova and Timothy Eddy. Ms. Male holds a Bachelor of Music with high honors from Rutgers University, and a Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music in New York City. Ms. Male is a former member of the Saskatoon Symphony and is well sought after as a chamber music recitalist, having performed in major venues in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia. In 1994, Ms. Male joined the faculty of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music as cello instructor. She founded and directed the Academy's Chamber Music Program from 1994-2010. Sara is an adjunct assistant professor of cello at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA.
Xun Pan, Piano
Chinese-American pianist Xun Pan received his early musical training from his grandmother and pianists-parents, Pan Yiming and Ying Shizhen. He continued his studies at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Syracuse University in New York, and earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Mr. Pan has won many international piano competitions and awards, beginning with first prize in the 1986 China National Piano Competition in Beijing, and the "Dr. Luis Sigall" International Piano Competition in Chile in 1987, the International Festival Piano Competition in Korea in 1990, the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York in 1992, and the Artists International Competition in New York in 1993. A student of Theodore Lettvin, Mr. Pan has performed solo recitals worldwide from Carnegie Weill Hall to the Beijing National Center for Performing Arts. He has performed in Moscow, Santiago, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Pyong-Yang, London, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Taipei, Budapest, New York, Vina Del Mar, Washington DC, Lisbon, Toronto, Boston, and many other cities in the world. He “…excites his audience with extraordinary power and masterful technique.” (Intelligencer Journal)
A noted chamber musician, Mr. Pan is the pianist of the Newstead Trio and Trio Clavino. Their work has been broadcast live on radio and television, and they have released several highly acclaimed recordings. Dr. Pan has been served as a judge in several competitions includes "Frinna Awerbuch" International Piano Competition in New York and United States Music Open Competition in Oakland, CA.
Mr. Pan is an adjunct professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and a visiting professor at China Conservatory of Music, China Northwest University for Nationalities, Fuzhou University, Yantai University, Shandong University, Qinghai Normal University, and Wenzhou University.