(Violin, cello and piano)
The Cygnus Trio was formed in 2012 as a result of its members' shared enthusiasm for chamber music and as a platform for exploring the vast repertoire for piano trio. Javier Montañana and César Saura, the former on violin and the latter on piano, had already been playing as a duo in Spain for several years before meeting British cellist Hannah Lewis during their studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with whom they soon formed the group. Javier completed his training there under the tutelage of Richard Deakin while Hannah did so with David Smith. César's teachers were first Daniel Ben Pienaar and later William Fong.
Together they receive regular advice from Richard Deakin, Michael Dussek and Nicholas Roberts, as well as participating in numerous masterclasses with ensembles such as the Doric Quartet of the Owon Trio or renowned performers such as Jeremy Young or William Coleman. As members of the Piano Trio Society they have had the privilege of being taught by other great names such as Raphael Wallsch or Krzysztof Smietana. They have also won multiple awards in competitions such as the Alzira Chamber Music Competition, the Chamber Music Competition “Ecoparque de Trasmiera”, the Chamber Music Competition “Antón García Abril” or the competition held in 2015 on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Valencian newspaper ‘Las Provincias’.
The Cygnus Trio performs regularly in Spain and the UK. In recent years they have been invited to take part in events such as the Santander International Music Festival, the III Jornadas de Música y Patrimonio in Toledo, the Villanueva de los Infantes International Music Festival (Ciudad Real), Music Coll (Scotland) and the Wye Valley Chamber Music Fesitval (Wales).