Join us on Sunday, January 23, at 3PM for an IN-PERSON concert by the International String Trio!

The International String Trio (IST) is a group of exceptionally talented musicians, all alumni of Berklee College of Music in Boston. The group prides itself on its stylistic diversity, delivering Gypsy jazz, Appalachian folk, acoustic world music (Irish, Klezmer, Russian, Italian, Bluegrass, etc.), virtuosic classical arrangements and popular songs from movie sound tracks. The IST enjoys using the diverse backgrounds of its members, hailing from Russia, Japan and England, to influence its stylistic diversity and unique performance aesthetic. Performing up to 120 events a year,  the trio enjoys leading its audiences on a cultural musical journey as they perform music from countries around the world.

Ben Powell - Violin

An utterly unique performer, Ben's musicianship, technical brilliance, mature, intuitive style and delivery inevitably bring audiences to their feet. Ben was raised in England until moving to the USA for his college education at the age of 19. In 1998 he was invited to play at the Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics in Japan as part of an international Suzuki celebration. As a soloist Ben has given recitals in The Purcell Rooms in London's Queen Elizabeth Southbank complex. Recent highlights include appearances at the Tanglewod Jazz festival, Schullers Jazz club and Sunset Club in Paris, France.

Slava Tolstoy – Guitar, Musical Director

Slava's background includes studies of composition and guitar performance at St. Petersburg Jazz School, Russia. He received his Bachelor Degree in Contemporary Writing and Production from Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music, where he was a scholarship student. He founded the "International String Trio" in 2002 and developed a unique performance concept for the ensemble. In addition to being an accomplished performer, he is also a songwriter and producer who had a pleasure of working with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Kenny Aronoff, Eric Marienthal, Billy Mann, Larry Dvoskin, etc.

Ippei Ichimaru - Acoustic Bass and Percussion

Ippei Ichimaru has been a professional bass player/arranger since 1991 in Australia and America. He does more than 250 performances a year and is one of the most active bass players in Boston / NY areas. He has had the pleasure of playing with or arranging for many talented international musicians such as Gil Askey, Danilo Perez, Phil Wilson, George Garzone, etc.