The Jubal Trio is a musical ensemble founded in 1974 by harpist Susan Jolles, flutist Sue Ann Kahn, and soprano Lucy Shelton. The name of the trio is derived from the aria “Oh Had I Jubal’s Lyre” from the opera Joshua by George Frideric Handel. The Trio offered their first season of programs in 1975, and in 1977 the group was awarded the prestigious Walter Naumburg Chamber Music Award. The Jubal Trio’s repertoire has included many baroque and classical pieces arranged for harp, flute, and soprano, as well as contemporary works and new works specially commissioned for the group. The Trio has received grants and commission funding from organizations such as Chamber Music America, the New York State Council on the Arts, Nonesuch Records, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, and the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

By 1981, Lucy Shelton had left the Jubal Trio and was replaced by Constance Beavon, mezzo-soprano, who in turn had been replaced by soprano Christine Schadeberg by 1988. The Trio celebrated its twentieth anniversary with a concert held at The New School in October of 1995, with a program of twentieth century compositions. In June of the following year the group presented the world premiere of Susan Botti’s Pig Dreams: Scenes from the Life of Sylvia at The New School, in a program that included the Trio’s own arrangement of Aaron Copland’s Emily Dickinson Songs, and a work written specifically for the Jubal Trio, Answers to Questions We are Often Asked, by Peter Schickele, also known by the name of his fictional alter ego, P.D.Q. Bach.

The Jubal Trio, with Schadeberg, released an album of five new works written specifically for the group, entitled Jubal Songs, in 1997. That same year, the Jubal Trio held a three-day residency at The New School, funded by Chamber Music America. The residency began with an ensemble technique workshop led by the Trio on February 18, followed by discussions and performance demonstrations on February 19. The discussion sessions were hosted by Robert Polito, director of the MFA in Creative Writing program at The New School, on the topic of the relationship between words and music, and by composer Laura Kaminsky, on the topic of what to listen for in music. The residency concluded with a concert by the Jubal Trio in the university’s 12th Street auditorium on February 20, 1997.

In addition to performing as members of the Jubal Trio, harpist Susan Jolles has been a member of the Mannes College of Music Faculty since 1984 (as of 2018), and flutist Sue Ann Kahn was on the Mannes faculty from 1996 to 2013, and served as director of the Mannes Preparatory Division from 1996 to 2010. Mannes became a division of The New School in 1989. Christine Schadeberg established a vocal studio in the Washington D.C. region in 1999.

References

“American Harp Society, 36th National Conference,” American Harp Society, June 23-26, 2004, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 54. https://www.harpsociety.org/pdfs/conferenceinstitute/conference/conference%20program%20book.pdf.

Course Catalogs. “Mannes College of Music.” College of Performing Arts Course Catalog Collection. 1916-2006. The New School Archives Digital Collections, New York, New York.

“From Chamber Music to Cyberconcerts, Music at The New School This Season.” May 7, 1996. New School Office of Communications, George Calderaro Records (NS.03.01.03), 1996, New School Archives and Special Collections, New York, New York. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/NS030103_000026.

Goodman, Peter. ”Jubal Trio's Happy Birthday.” Newsday, Long Island, NY. May 16 1990. https://www.proquest.com/docview/278235924/fulltext/338FC620A2744105PQ/1?accountid=12261&sourcetype=Newspapers.

“New School Presents Jubal Trio Concert and Free Residency Programs February 18-20.” January 22, 1997. New School Office of Communications, George Calderaro Records (NS.03.01.03), New School Archives and Special Collections, New York, New York. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/NS030103_000100.

“Previous Winners,” Walter W. Naumburg Foundation, last updated 2024, accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.naumburg.org/previous-winners#chamber-winners.

Raymond, David. “Jubal Songs.” American Record Guide 60, Issue 3, (May/June 1997): 246-247. https://www.proquest.com/docview/223407403/7568E368BCD2491DPQ/1?accountid=12261&sourcetype=Magazines.

“Schadeberg Studio Presents ‘Mostly Mendelssohn’ Concert.” The News Gazette, Lexington, Virginia, November 13, 2024. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.thenews-gazette.com/article/8835,schadeberg-studio-presents-mostly-mendelssohn-concert.

Shephard, Richard F. “Going Out Guide.”  New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast), December 9, 1981: C32. https://www.proquest.com/docview/424265867/F177AE3447F54ACAPQ/10?accountid=12261&sourcetype=Newspapers.

“The Jubal Trio Presents the World Premiere of Botti's Pig Dreams at The New School on Tuesday, June 4 at 8:00 PM,” New School Office of Communications, George Calderaro Records (NS.03.01.03), 1996, New School Archives and Special Collections, New York, New York. https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/objects/NS030103_000057.