www.baydailynews.com 150 FUSION The Daily News Friday, Jan.

8, 2010 C3

Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

The Albers Trio, from left: Julie, Laura and Rebecca. They perform on Sunday at Montalvo Arts Center.

The Albers Trio:

Sisters With Strings
Family unit comes to Montalvo on Sunday
BY PAUL FREEMAN a laugh. “But I always loved performing and in
For The Daily News order to perform, I had to practice.”
She doesn’t feel she had to make sacrifices
The beautiful music of the Albers Trio is to achieve musical goals. “We were pretty well
very much enriched by the fact that the three rounded. Once we were school age, we would
musicians are sisters. practice before school every morning. We had
“The most gratifying aspect of the trio is dance classes and art classes. I was on the soc-
just that I get to see more of my sisters, while cer and swim teams and did the high school
we’re on the road and while we’re rehearsing,” plays and that sort of thing. We were pretty
said sister Laura, 32. “I get to spend amazing good at fitting everything in, just because we
time with them. We have a special connection did want to do more than just play our instru-
between us when we’re performing on stage ments.”
together. There’s nothing that I’ve ever experi- It wasn’t clear to Laura that music would be
enced like that. It’s definitely to our benefit that her profession, until she completed her educa-
we’re siblings.” tion. After studying at Cleveland Institute of
Laura plays violin; Re- Music and earning a gradu-
becca plays viola and Julie
plays cello. Their concert
MUSIC PREVIEW ate degree at Julliard, she
landed a job as associate
Sunday at Montalvo is to WHAT: The Albers Trio concertmaster with the San
include works by Mozart, WHERE: Montalvo Arts Center, Francisco Opera.
Martinu and Beethoven. 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga “I took the audition
and was fortunate to win
The sisters’ mother, Ellie
LeRoux, is a Suzuki violin
WHEN: 3 p.m., Sunday the job. I’ve been there
teacher. Their father, Chuck TICKETS: $20-$30; 408-961-5858 and loved it ever since. I
Albers, conducted high enjoy just being part of an
school choirs and taught Suzuki piano. opera, because it’s such a massive production.
The sisters grew up in Colorado. “I was I’m fortunate that I sit against a wall, so I can
surrounded by music — the siblings, and all actually see what happens on stage and feel like
the kids that we became friends with through I’m part of this huge event. Some of the music I
music,” Laura said. “So music was always an love and some of it I don’t, but the whole thing
integral part of my life.” is so exciting.”
Laura explained about the system by which She has also been involved in music therapy,
the sisters learned to play music. including a volunteering stint at California
“Dr. Suzuki, after World War II, in Japan, Pacific Medical Center’s Soothing Sounds
wanted to give children something. He based program.
the method on the mother tongue approach, “There’s nothing better than going in and
where, if you could learn to speak a language just seeing the smiles on people’s faces. In
from hearing it, you could learn to play an in- the hospitals, it was just as important for the
strument from repetition and through nurture. caregivers as it was for the patients. I’m a strong
“It was the method that my mom chose believer in music therapy, also from my own
to take training in, because she believed so experience.
strongly in it. She had a studio with 50 kids all “I had a surgery myself, when I was in
through our growing up. It was a pretty amazing Cleveland, and I worked closely with a music
way to learn, because it was not through compe- therapist there. I believe that I came out of the
tition, it was just through nurture and supporting anesthesia faster. I didn’t have to spend the
one another and seeing everyone around you night at the hospital And I spent a lot of time
doing the same thing. Everybody was practicing with kids’ groups there, kids who had cancer.
every day. The parents were very involved. We I feel that music is such a healing force for so
were listening. We were learning to read to- many people.”
gether. We were playing a lot of chamber music During the opera’s off-season, Laura tours
together, lots of performances. So many things with The Albers Trio. “It’s so different and it’s a
about this method are invaluable. It worked re- challenge to go between the two.”
ally well for all of us. We developed a sense of Laura Albers maintains a hectic schedule.
musical community.” Engaged to be married, she’s a triathlete and a
There wasn’t much rivalry among the gourmet cook. She believes that music should
siblings. “We’ve always gotten along pretty be an important part of any youngster’s life.
well,” Laura said. “Of course, siblings always “I feel so strongly about what music has
have their in and outs. But mom was smart, in offered us, in terms of education, in terms of
that we all started on the same instruments, but discipline, having something to be good at, to
we moved to different instruments, so there be confident about. Even if it’s just a music AUTHENTIC BRAZILIAN STEAK HOUSE
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