About US
Founded in 2016, the Bedford Trio is already thrilling audiences with their dynamic, elegant, and energetic performances. In November 2018, the Bedford Trio competed and were finalists in the Anton Rubinstein International Chamber Music Competition in Dusseldorf, Germany. The trio has performed in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and is looking forward to resuming their performance activities that have been suspended for the 2020/21 season due to COVID19. The group’s repertoire ranges from the classic piano trios of Beethoven and Brahms to contemporary works by Canadian and International composers. They are committed to commissioning and performing contemporary repertoire by both established and emerging composers. Most recently they have premiered piano trios by emerging Canadian composers Roydon Tse (Forgetting) and Henrique Coe (Martyrium).
The Bedford Trio has performed in Quebec as part of the Orford Music Festival and participated in the Orford Piano Trio Residency under the guidance of the Gryphon Trio. They participated in the Career Development Residency at Chamberfest in Ottawa, which included several recital performances, various outreach events in communities around Ottawa including a performance for the Health Arts Society of Ontario, and events at the National Gallery of Canada. They worked closely with composer and classical music personality Rob Kapilow (What Makes it Great?) to present a composition-in-progress about the Maman sculpture by Louise Bourgeois that is situated just outside of the National Gallery.
The Bedford Trio is honoured to be named the first piano trio to be selected for the Irene R. Miller Piano Trio Residency at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and have been the trio in residence since 2018. In 2020, the Bedford Trio will be judges for the first ever piano trio composition competition at the University of Toronto, and will be premiering the winning piece as part of the Faculty's New Music Festival in 2021.
The Bedford Trio was founded by award winning instrumentalists Alessia Disimino (violin), Andrew Ascenzo (cello), and Jialiang Zhu (piano) and is currently based in Toronto, Canada.
The Bedford Trio has performed in Quebec as part of the Orford Music Festival and participated in the Orford Piano Trio Residency under the guidance of the Gryphon Trio. They participated in the Career Development Residency at Chamberfest in Ottawa, which included several recital performances, various outreach events in communities around Ottawa including a performance for the Health Arts Society of Ontario, and events at the National Gallery of Canada. They worked closely with composer and classical music personality Rob Kapilow (What Makes it Great?) to present a composition-in-progress about the Maman sculpture by Louise Bourgeois that is situated just outside of the National Gallery.
The Bedford Trio is honoured to be named the first piano trio to be selected for the Irene R. Miller Piano Trio Residency at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and have been the trio in residence since 2018. In 2020, the Bedford Trio will be judges for the first ever piano trio composition competition at the University of Toronto, and will be premiering the winning piece as part of the Faculty's New Music Festival in 2021.
The Bedford Trio was founded by award winning instrumentalists Alessia Disimino (violin), Andrew Ascenzo (cello), and Jialiang Zhu (piano) and is currently based in Toronto, Canada.
Alessia Disimino - Violin
Toronto-based violinist Alessia Disimino is recognized for her thoughtful musicality and instinctive interpretations. Described as "one of Toronto's finest violinists" (Snapd Beaches/Danforth), she is the co-founder and violinist of the Bedford Trio, concertmaster of the North York Concert Orchestra, and founder and Director of Strings at the North York String Academy, where she teaches the violin on a private and group class basis and curates the violin program. Alessia is a graduate of the University of Toronto's Master of Music in Performance (Hons.) as a scholarship student of Dr. Timothy Ying, and also obtained her Bachelor of Music in Performance (Hons.) with a Minor in English, with Annalee Patipatanakoon of the Gryphon Trio.
Most recently, the Bedford Trio was announced as the inaugural Irene R. Miller Piano Trio Residency ensemble at the University of Toronto for 2018-2019. The Trio was also named Ottawa Chamberfest’s 2018 Career Development Residency ensemble, where the group worked with the esteemed artists of the Gryphon Trio and What Make’s It Great’s Rob Kapilow. Chamberfest initiatives also saw the Bedford Trio featured in tour performances at Ottawa’s City Hall, in Montreal, and again in Ottawa during the Residency (July to August). During her time at the University of Toronto, Alessia served as concertmaster of the University of Toronto Orchestra and Opera, and as a soloist and chamber musician, has performed in master classes for Jonathan Crow, Erika Raum, Mark Fewer, Jeanne Lamon, Lara St. John, Gryphon Trio, Menahem Pressler, and the Juilliard String Quartet, amongst others. Alessia is also an active freelance violinist in Toronto, and performs with various ensembles in Vaughan and the Greater Toronto Area, including Maestro Kerry Stratton’s Toronto Concert Orchestra.
A recipient of numerous awards, Alessia was awarded the Gordon Cressy Leadership Award for her outstanding contributions to her community and to the University, and also received an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2017). Previous awards include Gerhard Kander Graduating Award for Violin, the Suba Institute Award for Performing Excellence, the Felix Galimir Award for Excellence in Chamber Music (2015), and the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto Centennial Scholarship (2014). Alessia holds her Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) in Violin Performance (First Class Honours with Distinction), is an alumnus of the RCM’s Young Artist’s Performance Academy (2009-2011) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (2010-2012), and has attended summer study programs including the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the Orford Academy, and the Domaine Forget Academy. For her pedagogical training, Alessia has also attended the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium and the Indiana University Violin and Viola Teacher Retreat.
Alessia is equally passionate about teaching and community outreach. She has provided violin instruction on a private basis for students of all ages and levels, performs regularly in music ministry at her parish, and with the Bedford Trio, North York Concert Orchestra, and Toronto Community Orchestra, with whom she was concertmaster (2015-2018) and appeared as a soloist in May of 2018, has performed outreach concerts for numerous senior residences and hospitals throughout Toronto.
In her spare time, Alessia loves to write poetry, paint, and read books on a variety of subjects, including English literature, Fiction, Theology, and translations of Classical literature.
Most recently, the Bedford Trio was announced as the inaugural Irene R. Miller Piano Trio Residency ensemble at the University of Toronto for 2018-2019. The Trio was also named Ottawa Chamberfest’s 2018 Career Development Residency ensemble, where the group worked with the esteemed artists of the Gryphon Trio and What Make’s It Great’s Rob Kapilow. Chamberfest initiatives also saw the Bedford Trio featured in tour performances at Ottawa’s City Hall, in Montreal, and again in Ottawa during the Residency (July to August). During her time at the University of Toronto, Alessia served as concertmaster of the University of Toronto Orchestra and Opera, and as a soloist and chamber musician, has performed in master classes for Jonathan Crow, Erika Raum, Mark Fewer, Jeanne Lamon, Lara St. John, Gryphon Trio, Menahem Pressler, and the Juilliard String Quartet, amongst others. Alessia is also an active freelance violinist in Toronto, and performs with various ensembles in Vaughan and the Greater Toronto Area, including Maestro Kerry Stratton’s Toronto Concert Orchestra.
A recipient of numerous awards, Alessia was awarded the Gordon Cressy Leadership Award for her outstanding contributions to her community and to the University, and also received an Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2017). Previous awards include Gerhard Kander Graduating Award for Violin, the Suba Institute Award for Performing Excellence, the Felix Galimir Award for Excellence in Chamber Music (2015), and the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto Centennial Scholarship (2014). Alessia holds her Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) in Violin Performance (First Class Honours with Distinction), is an alumnus of the RCM’s Young Artist’s Performance Academy (2009-2011) and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (2010-2012), and has attended summer study programs including the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, the Orford Academy, and the Domaine Forget Academy. For her pedagogical training, Alessia has also attended the University of Toronto Wind Conducting Symposium and the Indiana University Violin and Viola Teacher Retreat.
Alessia is equally passionate about teaching and community outreach. She has provided violin instruction on a private basis for students of all ages and levels, performs regularly in music ministry at her parish, and with the Bedford Trio, North York Concert Orchestra, and Toronto Community Orchestra, with whom she was concertmaster (2015-2018) and appeared as a soloist in May of 2018, has performed outreach concerts for numerous senior residences and hospitals throughout Toronto.
In her spare time, Alessia loves to write poetry, paint, and read books on a variety of subjects, including English literature, Fiction, Theology, and translations of Classical literature.
Andrew Ascenzo - Cello
Cellist. Performer. Conductor. Composer. Musical Director. Artistic Director. Teacher. Producer. Audio Engineer. Multi-Instrumentalist. Andrew Ascenzo is redefining what it means to be a professional musician in the 21st Century.
As one of Toronto's most versatile musicians, Andrew embodies a passion for presenting a myriad of musical styles to diverse audiences across Canada. He performs regularly as a soloist and is a member of the Bedford Trio, currently the Irene R. Miller Piano Trio in Residence at the University of Toronto and finalists of the Anton Rubinstein International Chamber Music Competition. In August 2019, Andrew recorded, designed, and performed the electronic component for the world premiere of Rob Kapilow's recent composition Aprés Maman at Ottawa Chamberfest. As a conductor, Andrew has worked with orchestras and musical theatre groups including York University and Etobicoke Musical Productions, and most recently was the Musical Director and Keyboard/Conductor for Brampton Music Theatre's Fall 2019 production of Mamma Mia! Andrew is the Artistic Director of Music in the Atrium, a weekly concert series, now in its 23rd season, at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Andrew is designing a new genre of concert with renowned music therapist SarahRose Black, combining live performance with narratives of the power of music in health and well-being.
Andrew is a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Toronto and winner of the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award, the highest honour awarded to a graduate of the Faculty of Music. He studied with Professor Shauna Rolston, and had a research interest in repertoire for solo cello and electronics. His dissertation Digital Landscape: an annotated list of works for solo cello and electronics is being developed into an online resource that can be found at www.theelectroniccellist.weebly.com. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from U of T. He has also studied privately with David Hetherington and Joseph Johnson, as well as studying jazz and improvisation with Matt Brubeck. Andrew has attended the Banff Summer Music program and had the privilege to study with some of the great cello masters, including Aldo Parisot, Janos Starker, and Raphael Wallfisch.
As one of Toronto's most versatile musicians, Andrew embodies a passion for presenting a myriad of musical styles to diverse audiences across Canada. He performs regularly as a soloist and is a member of the Bedford Trio, currently the Irene R. Miller Piano Trio in Residence at the University of Toronto and finalists of the Anton Rubinstein International Chamber Music Competition. In August 2019, Andrew recorded, designed, and performed the electronic component for the world premiere of Rob Kapilow's recent composition Aprés Maman at Ottawa Chamberfest. As a conductor, Andrew has worked with orchestras and musical theatre groups including York University and Etobicoke Musical Productions, and most recently was the Musical Director and Keyboard/Conductor for Brampton Music Theatre's Fall 2019 production of Mamma Mia! Andrew is the Artistic Director of Music in the Atrium, a weekly concert series, now in its 23rd season, at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Andrew is designing a new genre of concert with renowned music therapist SarahRose Black, combining live performance with narratives of the power of music in health and well-being.
Andrew is a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at the University of Toronto and winner of the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award, the highest honour awarded to a graduate of the Faculty of Music. He studied with Professor Shauna Rolston, and had a research interest in repertoire for solo cello and electronics. His dissertation Digital Landscape: an annotated list of works for solo cello and electronics is being developed into an online resource that can be found at www.theelectroniccellist.weebly.com. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from U of T. He has also studied privately with David Hetherington and Joseph Johnson, as well as studying jazz and improvisation with Matt Brubeck. Andrew has attended the Banff Summer Music program and had the privilege to study with some of the great cello masters, including Aldo Parisot, Janos Starker, and Raphael Wallfisch.
Jialiang Zhu - Piano
Jialiang Zhu is a native of China and currently calls Toronto, Canada her home. Jialiang completed her Bachelor in Piano Performance and Masters in Piano Performance and Pedagogy with Professor Marietta Orlov at the University of Toronto. She is continuing her studies at the University of Toronto, pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree under the tutelage of Professor Lydia Wong. Jialiang recently won the 2017 Gwendolyn Williams Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying.
Jialiang loves to collaborate with other artists. She is an alumna of both Banff Collaborative Piano Residency and Toronto Summer Music Festival. Her passion for contemporary music has led her to collaborative projects such as: Tapestry New Opera Workshops; the FAWN opera production Herma’s Shepherd: Vision I at the Open Ear Festival of Art, Architecture, and Sound; and the Tapestry Opera/Canadian Stage co-production Noor over Afghan at the Festival of Ideas and Creation. Jialiang co-founded the Bedford Trio with violinist Alessia Disimino and cellist Andrew Ascenzo. The Bedford Trio performs regularly, is an alumnus of the Orford Music Academy, and recently completed the Career Development Residency at Ottawa Chamberfest.
Jialiang finds equal inspiration in solo piano performance. She was the featured soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the York Chamber Ensemble. Jialiang was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and a finalist in the 2017 Vancouver International Piano Competition. Mostly recently, she won the University of Toronto’s 2018 DMA Recital Competition and will perform in the Thursdays at Noon concert series in March 2019.
A passionate teacher, Jialiang has been working at the University of Toronto Piano Pedagogy Program since 2012. Most recently in May 2018, she adjudicated the Chinese Compositions Group and Bach group in the Canadian International Music Competition. Jialiang also has a studio of private students.
Jialiang loves to collaborate with other artists. She is an alumna of both Banff Collaborative Piano Residency and Toronto Summer Music Festival. Her passion for contemporary music has led her to collaborative projects such as: Tapestry New Opera Workshops; the FAWN opera production Herma’s Shepherd: Vision I at the Open Ear Festival of Art, Architecture, and Sound; and the Tapestry Opera/Canadian Stage co-production Noor over Afghan at the Festival of Ideas and Creation. Jialiang co-founded the Bedford Trio with violinist Alessia Disimino and cellist Andrew Ascenzo. The Bedford Trio performs regularly, is an alumnus of the Orford Music Academy, and recently completed the Career Development Residency at Ottawa Chamberfest.
Jialiang finds equal inspiration in solo piano performance. She was the featured soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the York Chamber Ensemble. Jialiang was a semi-finalist in the 2016 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition and a finalist in the 2017 Vancouver International Piano Competition. Mostly recently, she won the University of Toronto’s 2018 DMA Recital Competition and will perform in the Thursdays at Noon concert series in March 2019.
A passionate teacher, Jialiang has been working at the University of Toronto Piano Pedagogy Program since 2012. Most recently in May 2018, she adjudicated the Chinese Compositions Group and Bach group in the Canadian International Music Competition. Jialiang also has a studio of private students.