String Trio - Musician Bios
Helen Chang Haertzen
Helen Chang Haertzen joined the Minnesota Orchestra in the fall of 2003 and made her solo debut a few years later performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto. Formerly associate and principal second with the Bamberg Symphony in Germany, Helen toured with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, performed with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and appeared as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Esplanade, and Staatsorchester Braunschweig. She recorded the Bach Partitas for Cavalli Records which received critical acclaim from the American Records Guide and produced her most recent CD release "American Avenues" for Centaur Records.
As a chamber musician Helen performs with the Isles Ensemble and Lady Slipper. She has been a guest with the Bamberg String Quartet and Walden Chamber Players and has taken part in innovative collaborations with dancer Bill T. Jones at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and with the Boston Ballet Company, performing Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending. As a recitalist she has performed throughout Europe, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Goethe Institute of Boston, The Russian Museum of Art, and Legion of Honor in San Francisco where she played on the Jascha Heifetz 'David' Guarneri del Gesu of 1742.
Helen grew up in Massachusetts and studied with Roman Totenberg. She furthered her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and Salzburg Mozarteum. Her mentors include Szymon Goldberg, Ruggiero Ricci, and Camilla Wicks.
She is a 2017 recipient of the Artist Initiative Grant through the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Anne Ainomäe
Anne Ainomäe (viola) was born and raised in Estonia. She is an avid chamber musician. Before moving to USA, Anne was a member of Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and founding member of Prezioso String Quartet, which has won numerous prizes in Europe, and recorded works of Schulhoff, Vasks, Webern and Rääts. Anne has worked with Estonian National Symphony, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra; and is a regular performer with Minnesota Opera Orchestra and Englewood Arts Chamber music series in Colorado.
Ms Ainomae has studied at Sibelius Academy, Tallinn Academy of Music and Theatre and University of Denver Lamont School of Music.
Jane Cords-O’Hara
Based in Minneapolis, MN, cellist Jane Cords-O’Hara is busy freelance cellist. She is a member of The Knights, Iris Orchestra, Jamison Ensemble and Ladyslipper Ensemble. She has performed, toured and recorded with many other ensembles including St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, MN Opera, Orchestra of St Luke’s, Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Da Capo Chamber Players, SONYC and A Far Cry. Equally comfortable in many styles, Jane has played a large amount of new and spectral music, as well as a more recent venture on baroque cello, and has played with Lyra Baroque, Bach Society of MInnesota and WolfGang ensemble. As a longtime member of the Grammy nominated chamber orchestra The Knights, Jane has played at festivals such as Tanglewood, Ravinia, Ojai, Stillwater and Caramoor, as well as internationally in Germany, Austria, Poland, Ireland and at the Canary Islands music festival. Jane studied at the RNCM with Hannah Roberts and at Mannes College with Tim Eddy. She is a devoted teacher and has a private studio as well as being on faculty at Augsburg University.