P assionate about music, the di.vi.sion piano trio is an exciting group that seeks to move audiences. Presenting captivating and fresh programming, curating a chamber series in the Bronx, collaborating with composers that inspire them and working on innovative recording projects, the di.vi.sion piano trio is an active and driven chamber ensemble.
The trio is based in New York City and is the core group of the larger ensemble di.vi.sion. di.vi.sion was formed in 1997 by violinist Kurt Briggs as a 35-musician group. The name is inspired by the group’s flexibility to divide forces as needed, and also references the musical form of division – the gradually accelerating variation of melodic material over a ground bass. The di.vi.sion piano trio was formed in 2001 with members Kurt Briggs, Renée Cometa Briggs and Matt Goeke.
Filled with a strong sense of community and a commitment to making classical music accessible, di.vi.sion concerts was created in 2012. di.vi.sion concerts is a classical music series in the Bronx that engages a broad audience with its intriguing programming of new works in context of traditional chamber music repertoire. These concerts offer standard works to introduce newcomers to the classical music genre and performances and premieres of works by living composers for the seasoned classical music audience. Its traditional repertoire ranges from Haydn and De Fesch to Shostakovich and Ravel.
Distinguished presenters of di.vi.sion piano trio include: Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival at Symphony Space, Brooklyn New Music Collective at Spectrum, Saugerties Pro Musica, Islip Council on the Arts series, Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture, Goff Memorial Hall, Hudson River Museum, Roerich Museum, Bronx Museum of Art, New Jersey City University, Church of the Holy Apostles in Manhattan, and St. Peter’s Church at Citicorp.
Energized by music that is written today, the di.vi.sion piano trio regularly collaborates with living composers. The trio ardently programs and performs compositions of established and emerging composers. The trio and members of the trio are also the recipient and dedicatees of newly-written works. Many of these works are presented in their video series “di.vi.sion concerts/online,” featuring interviews with composers and performances of their works. The di.vi.sion piano trio has worked with composers Douglas Anderson, Victoria Bond, Steven Burke, Merrill Clark, Constance Cooper, Raphael Crystal, Ezra Donner, Anthony Gatto, Tom Griffin, Stanley Grill, Jim Lahti, Cynthia Miller, Melissa Shiflett, Frank E. Warren and Ben Yarmolinsky.
di.vi.sion has captured many of these new works on premiere recordings, teaming with composers on both piano trio and larger and smaller ensemble projects. These collaborations can be heard on Albany Records, BenYar Productions, Navona and Ravello Records. di.vi.sion’s most recent commissioning project and album release Five for the Planet is featured in the May/June 2026 Strings Magazine article on contemporary composers and ensembles centering climate change in their work.
