About The Trio
With their spirited approach and harmonious connection, the Palatine Piano Trio shares memorable, heartfelt performances of engaging music, both new and old. Featuring three of Portland’s most respected musicians - violinist Inés Voglar Belgique, cellist and composer Nancy Ives, and pianist Susan DeWitt Smith - this is Oregon’s preeminent piano trio. The ensemble delivers musical excellence combined with an effortless chemistry developed over decades of dear friendship and collaboration. Celebrated for their purposeful programming and exhilarating delivery, the trio works closely with the region’s foremost composers, bringing their chamber music to worldwide audiences through an exciting, multi-year recording initiative, Northwest Legacies. With multiple albums in the works, their forthcoming first release showcases premiere recordings of music by Tomáš Svoboda.
Taking their name from the Palatine Hill Road address of Lewis & Clark College, where all three members are on faculty, the ensemble has brought expressive and impactful concerts throughout the region, to venues including Flanigan Chapel, Concerts at the Barn, and intimate house concerts.
Inés Voglar Belgique, violin
Inés Voglar Belgique performs with passion and grace as Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Oregon Symphony and a member of new music ensemble, Fear No Music. As a member of DuoKrom alongside flutist Molly Barth, Voglar Belgique recently performed on tour in Slovenia (2023) which included performances at the Slovenian Parliament, National University Library, and Vipava Castle. Committed to music education, Voglar Belgique is the conductor of the String Ensemble (PYSE) of the Portland Youth Philharmonic and a faculty member at the Interlochen Adult Chamber Music Camp and the Portland Summer Ensembles. As Artistic Director of Fear No Music from 2005 until 2011, Voglar Belgique curated unique concerts that featured collaborations with internationally acclaimed composers alongside the music of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Before joining the Oregon Symphony in 2004, she played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Symphony as an extra musician, including national and European tours. Other orchestral distinctions include having been Guest Concertmaster of the Galicia Symphony Orchestra in December 2007 and being a frequent Concertmaster of the Astoria Music Festival Orchestra. Born to a Slovenian family in Venezuela, where she studied music under the program “El Sistema” and violin with Roberto Valdes, she came to the United States in 1996 to complete her undergraduate and graduate studies from Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University with then-Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Andrés Cárdenes.
Nancy Ives, cello
Composer and cellist Nancy Ives is a musical icon, having “built a career of such spectacular diversity that no summation will do her achievements justice.” (Artslandia) As "one of Oregon’s most prominent and accomplished classical musicians,” (The Oregonian) Ives is a gracious and essential cornerstone of Portland musical life, “a local treasure,” according to the Portland Mercury. With more than 20 years as Principal Cellist of the Oregon Symphony, she’s also a member of the Rose City Trio and Fear No Music, has collaborated with virtually all of the region’s premier performance organizations, and performed as soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Portland Columbia Symphony, Clark College Orchestra, and Cascade Festival of Music, “demonstrating with attentive grace that technically challenging and sonically difficult music can still be beautiful.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) A regular performer on All Classical Portland, Ives was also the “Cellist in Residence” on OPB’s State of Wonder. A relative of the legendary composer Charles Ives, Nancy carries on the compositional tradition of her namesake with modern relevance. Inspired by the natural world, her enduring and eloquent music is “modernistic but melodic and compelling… [with] a refreshing musical breadth… [and] uniquely personal voice.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) Ives’ projects involve working with indigenous communities to authentically capture, amplify, and relay their stories to wider audiences. With a DMA from the Manhattan School of Music, Ives is an Instructor of Chamber Music at Lewis & Clark College and serves on the Board of Directors for All Classical Portland.
Susan DeWitt Smith, piano
Susan DeWitt Smith is Professor of Piano at Lewis & Clark College. A native of Portland, Oregon, pianist Susan DeWitt Smith has an active career as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, and on subscription series with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Palomar Symphony and the Dartmouth Symphony. She has performed at the Bloch, Cascade Head and the Cascade music festivals in Oregon, as well as the Grand Teton, Hot Springs, and Olympic music festivals. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she earned her MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Smith has recorded extensively on the KOCH International Classics label.
"superb playing... it seemed as if all three musicians were racing each other to get to the goal line, but they crossed it together with a glorious crescendo."
- Oregon ArtsWatch