The Brahms Trio is one of the leading chamber ensembles of Russia, piano trio that unites violinist Nikolai Sachenko – winner of the Golden Medal of the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, cellist Kirill Rodin – winner of the Golden Medal of the VIII International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and pianist Natalia Rubinstein – First Prize winner of the Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar and founder of the ensemble. Founded in Moscow in 1988, the Brahms Trio has performed worldwide and has recorded much of Russian piano trio repertoire. The Brahms Trio made a significant contribution to enlarging the chamber repertoire by rediscovering unknown piano trios of Russian composers of the late-19th and early-20th century. The musicians of the Brahms Trio are professors of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, recipients of the awards ‘For the Prominent Contribution to the Development of Culture’ as well as the title ‘Merited Artist of Russia’. Early years The Brahms Trio was formed in 1988 as a part of the chamber music class of Konstantin Oznobishchev at the Gnessin School of Music. Since 1990, the artistic biography of the Brahms Trio has been inextricably linked to the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. The chamber music classes of the legendary Moscow Conservatory professors Tatiana Gaidamovich and Oleksandr Bondurianskyi (The Moscow Trio) made an invaluable impact on the music formation and development of the ensemble. Furthermore, such masters as , Natalia Shakhovskaya, Valentin Berlinsky (Borodin Quartet), and Rudolf Barshai had a significant influence on the shaping of the performing style and career of the trio. In 1991, the ensemble was named after Johannes Brahms. That same year, the official debut of the Brahms Trio took place at the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. In 1993, the Brahms Trio won the 2nd prize at the XIII International Chamber Music Competition in Trapani, Italy, and in 1996, the 1st prize at the First Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar, Germany. In 1995 the Brahms Trio became a resident ensemble of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. Performing activities Since the middle of the 90s, the Brahms Trio has had an active concert schedule, including regular appearances at major concert halls such as the Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia concert halls, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Stadtcasino Basel, the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall in Zagreb, the Cemal Reşit Rey