Marimba Trio: The Geometry of Sound

Marimba Trio: The Geometry of Sound is a marimba trio performance inspired by the ideas of shape and structure, with part of its concept drawn from the abstract art of Piet Mondrian. Three performers use rhythm, melody, and tone color as if painting with lines and blocks of color, building vivid and dynamic geometric spaces in sound.

The music begins with the classical clarity of counterpoint and harmony, full of order and proportion; moves into the modern world of polyrhythms and minimalist structures, where precision meets breath and flow; and finally enters the abstract, where short notes become black lines, sustained tones become white spaces, and different timbres leap like blocks of primary color, unfolding a living Mondrian painting in sound.

It is a journey where listening and visual imagination merge, allowing the audience to both hear and see the geometry of sound.

Programme

TRIO
Sculpture — RÜDIGER PAWASSAR
Patter — ROBERT HONSTEIN
Bach BWV 526 — JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Open Your Eyes — IVAN TREVINO

DUO
Alborada — MAURICE RAVEL (arr.)
Chopin Nocturne — FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (arr.)

SOLO
See Ya Thursday — STEVEN MACKEY
Virginia Tate — PAUL SMADBECK

*Programme subject to change
*75 mins programme and small apéro will be offered after the concert 

Biography

Dr. Matthew Lau — Hailed by the Aspen Times for his “soulful and technically impressive solo” at his vibraphone concerto debut at the Aspen Music Festival, award-winning percussionist Dr. Matthew Lau has an absolute commitment to communicate the meaning and essence of percussion music with high-calibre performances with a whimsical twist. As a queer Asian percussionist, Matthew challenge the convention narratives and work to change the traditional prescribed career path. He is currently on the Board of Advisor and Keyboard Committee for The Percussive Arts Society, and Board of Directors for The Vibraphone Project Inc. Matthew is the co-founder and artistic director of Hong Kong contemporary percussion group The Up:Strike Project, and is part of the duo Fisher/Lau Project. Matthew performed and taught in universities, festival and competitions in countries like USA, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Taiwan, Spain, Australia, and Russia. Matthew receives grants from the Boston Foundation and Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and is named Award for New Artist. Dr. Lau is Premier Artist of Marimba One, Artist Endorser of Black Swamp Percussion, and Signature Artist of Encore/Salyers Mallets.

Ernestina Leung, a marimbist from Hong Kong, studied marimba performance at LUCA School of Arts in Belgium and the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Poland, where she was mentored by Ludwig Albert, Jacek Wota, and Shoko Sakai. Inspired by their guidance, she developed a distinctive artistic voice that explores the marimba’s expressive range. Her work often integrates storytelling, visual elements, and sound, creating performances that are both immersive and narratively rich. Notable projects include Marimba Romance, presented in Hong Kong and at the Lilu Light Festival in Lucerne, and her 2025 marimba adaptation of The Four Seasons in Zurich, which received enthusiastic acclaim and sparked new artistic dialogues. Ernestina has performed internationally in venues such as UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and across Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, and Hong Kong. She has earned recognition in competitions, winning first prize at the 8th Saint Petersburg Music Student Competition and second prize at the 10th International Music and Arts Festival Competition. In 2026, she will further expand her cross-disciplinary, narrative-driven approach through new projects in Switzerland and Hong Kong, continuing to push the boundaries of marimba performance.

Hiromi Shigeno was born in Japan and began her musical education at Tokyo Gakugei University, where she completed her bachelor’s degree. She went on to study marimba with the renowned Professor Keiko Abe at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. In 2009, she moved to Germany to continue her percussion studies under Professor Isao Nakamura. Following her studies, she taught marimba at the University of Music Karlsruhe for 12 years, during which many of her students achieved outstanding results in competitions —a source of great pride in her teaching career. Since 2022, she has been performing with Ernestina Leung, giving concerts in Zürich.