Rachel Patrick, violin/viola
Matt Boyles, clarinet
Ian Scarfe, piano

Taking its name from the Old World wine producing grape (Vitis Vinifera), this trio hails from California's New World wine country in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Vinifera Trio performs a range of classical and contemporary repertoire, and bring an appealing kind of casual intimacy to even the most formal concerts and events.

With training at some of the top music programs in the world, the trio has as its rootstock the classical repertoire – from the elegance of Mozart and Schumann to the more gnarled works of Bartok and Stravinsky. These healthy and reliable roots, along with the groups musical passions and myriad talents, have allowed the trio to successfully graft other varietals of music into their programs. A sampler flight would include the wild energy of Klezmer, the snappy rhythms of jazz, and the mournful rhetoric of many folk traditions. Expert arrangers themselves, Vinifera also offers new blends of old favorites by composers such as Gershwin, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, and Ligeti.

But not all of their musical offerings are well-aged and barreled – they are strong advocates of contemporary music and have commissioned and performed new works from a handful of composers. They have also brought their fresh energy and insights to underage audiences at schools and workshops, seeking to inspire the next generation of connoisseurs.

They have performed at venues and concert series across California and Oregon, and were an ensemble in residence at the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival. They have given lectures and presentations at Willamette University and Pacific Union College, and are in the process of creating the Napa Valley Forum for New Music, which will debut 2016.

Mozart Kegelstatt Trio
Ligeti Bagatelles
Bartok Contrasts
Khachaturian Trio
Schumann Fairy Tales
Bruch 8 Romances
Glick: The Klezmer's Wedding
Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes
Milhaud Suite
Menotti Trio
Poulenc: Invitation to the Castle
Gershwin: American in Paris
Stravinsky: A Soldier's Tale
Higdon: Dash
Aldag: Nocturne and Dance