UAH Constellation Concerts offer wide variety of sounds, starting with Willow Trio on Sept. 24

The Willow Trio will open the fall 2026 Constellation Concert Series at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall on the UAH campus. Members are, left to right, violist Jake Pietroniro, violinist Dr. Julie Haring and cellist Pin-hui Tsai.

Courtesy Willow Trio

From a Beethoven string trio to a classical take on hip-hop to the premiere of a work with a Huntsville connection, the fall 2026 Constellation Concert series at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) offers a diverse array of string and reed performances. The excitement begins on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m. with the strings of the Willow Trio.

Constellation Concerts are presented by the UAH Department of Music, Theatre and Film in Roberts Recital Hall, 1510 Ben Graves Drive, on the campus of UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System.

The Willow Trio strives to include works from across the classical music spectrum, says Willow member Dr. Julie Haring, instructor of violin and music history at UAH. She and her husband, violist Jake Pietroniro, and their friend, cellist Pin-hui Tsai, formed the Willow Trio a couple of years ago. The three met while pursuing graduate studies at the Hartt School in Hartford, Conn.

The second Constellation Concert of the fall 2026 season will feature the Ritual Action Reed Trio plus visiting guest performers and members of the UAH music faculty on Friday, Nov. 13. Trio members are, left to right, bassoonist Ben Roidl-Ward, clarinetist Andy Hudson and oboist Andrew Nogal.

Courtesy Ritual Action Reed Trio

Among the works on their program are Beethoven’s String Trio in G major, Op. 9, No.1; “Mozart en Route” by Aaron Jay Kernis, and selections from “Hip-Hop Etudes” by Daniel Bernard Roumain.

“We’re particularly excited about playing ‘Hip-Hop Etudes,’” Haring says. “It’s classical music because we’re playing three classical instruments, but there are different rhythms and styles from hip-hop. These etudes are really cool because they’re written for two to four voices, and Roumain gives you the flexibility to decide who plays which part. You can have more than one person on one part, so there’s a lot of interpretation. And it’s nice to play something by a living composer.”

In the world of string ensembles, the trio is a bit unusual.

“It’s not often that people get to hear string trios,” Haring says. “String quartets are everywhere, but the trio is kind of an underrated format. You generally get a fuller sound when you have four voices – soprano, alto, tenor, bass. The trio is one voice thinner. But as a result, often composers will write thicker textures for each instrument, so it can be more challenging.”

Celebrating all things reed

Another trio will take center stage when the second Constellation Concert showcases Ritual Action Reed Trio and Guests on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. The concert kicks off UAH’s annual Rocket City Reed Day, Saturday, Nov. 14, a free day of classes, practice sessions, workshops and more for middle and high school students who play reed instruments.

The contemporary classical trio Ritual Action is known for championing modern classics of the reed trio repertoire and commissioning new works for oboe, clarinet and bassoon. Two commissioned pieces will be on their program, including one from acclaimed composer and pianist Daniel Pesca. Currently assistant professor of composition at the Eastman School of Music, Pesca is originally from Huntsville.

Ritual Action members are oboist Andrew Nogal, instructor of chamber music at Northwestern University and assistant professor of oboe at Illinois State University; clarinetist Dr. Andy Hudson, associate professor of clarinet at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wis., and bassoonist Dr. Ben Roidl-Ward, assistant professor of bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Along with performing in concert, they will serve as guest faculty for Reed Day.

Joining Ritual Action for the concert and Reed Day activities will be saxophonist Dr. Joseph Connor, instructor of saxophone at Lawrence University, where he teaches applied saxophone and chamber music.

UAH faculty members involved in Reed Day will also perform at the Constellation Concert: Jennifer Case, oboe; Taylor Barlow, clarinet; Mary Balch, saxophone; Taylor Smith, bassoon, and Dr. E. Yuji Jones, conductor.

Tickets to each Constellation Concert are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Only debit or credit cards will be taken; no cash will be accepted at the door. The concerts will be live-streamed; access is $10.

For more information on the UAH Constellation Concert Series, visit the Events page.