Orcas Center will present Trio Verlaine, a combination of flute, viola and harp, in concert on Saturday, March 21.

The members of Trio Verlaine – Lorna McGhee (flute), David Harding (viola) and Heidi Krutzen (harp) – are drawn together by a strong desire to further expose this unusual instrumental combination for which Debussy was the first to compose work.

Richard Campbell of the Seattle Post Intelligencer writes “…Flute, harp and viola are not natural companions, but McGhee, Harding and Krutzen made them seem so with a keen sense of ensemble. Separate voices blended readily but not to any sacrifice of their individuality.”

Each player has a distinguished career independently, and two of them, McGhee and Harding, are well known to patrons of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival. Together they have appeared at many of North America’s finest chamber music festivals, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Music in the Vineyards and the Sitka Summer Music Festival. Trio Verlaine can be heard frequently on NPR in the U.S. and CBC radio in Canada.

In addition to standard repertoire, Trio Verlaine’s exploration includes arrangements of works suited to this rare combination, and the commissioning of entirely new works. Trio Verlaine recently had the honor of being granted a commission from Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Among the works to be performed by Trio Verlaine are Beethoven’s Serenade Op. 25, Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel, and Le Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla.

Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are $24, $16 for Orcas Center members, and $10 for students. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.orcascenter.org or call or 360/376-2281 ext. 1 during box office hours, Thursday-Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.