Trio Sponte

Nick Hammel, violin | Stephanie Yang, cello | Charles Berofsky, piano

Trio Sponte is a dynamic ensemble whose members attend the New England
Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. Violinist Nick Hammel, cellist Yi-I Stephanie Yang, and pianist Charles Berofsky started playing together at the Taos School of Music during the summer of 2023 and, drawn to each other’s artistry and passion for music, decided to form a trio at the start of the fall semester. In November the trio was selected for NEC’s prestigious Honors Chamber Ensemble program and they look forward to giving their debut recital in Jordan Hall in May. Each of Trio Sponte’s members are experienced chamber musicians in their own right, having won prizes at various competitions as well as appearing with renowned artists and ensembles.

Nick recently won first prize in the Ann & Charles Eisemann Young Artists Competition, and has performed with ensembles such as the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with many notable musicians, such as Anton Nel, Sandy Yamamoto, and Bion Tsang, as well as members of the Miro Quartet, the Kronos Quartet, and the Borromeo Quartet.

Stephanie has performed actively with a wide range of artists such as Jaime Laredo, Hugh Wolff, and Jonathan Biss. She has performed with A Far Cry chamber orchestra and has performed in Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar in 2022. She received the grand prize in the Hsinchu City Cello Competition, as well as the Taiwan National Chamber Music competition, and was also selected as the most outstanding cellist by the Taipei Symphony Orchestra in 2018.

Charles was awarded the Third Prize in the 2022 New York International Piano
Competition, along with the First Prize for the piano four-hands round; and First Prize in the 2021 Thousand Islands International Piano Competition. He has performed with members of the Borromeo Quartet, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and the Pressenda Chamber Players, and he has made solo appearances with the NEC Chamber Orchestra and the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra.