Biographical Information

The Venner Ensemble takes its name from the Danish word meaning "friends." Theodore Johnson (of Danish heritage) is founder of the ensemble and established the group three years ago to explore and perform chamber music to a greater extent than he was able during his thirty-six year dedication to orchestral repertoire as Clarinetist with The Cleveland Orchestra. Devoted to the intimate expression of trio sonatas, quartets, quintets, and other small chamber groupings, The Venner's repertoire focuses on beloved, well-known standards such as the Brahms Trio Sonata in A Minor, and the Beethoven Trio in B, and adds a sprinkling of invigorating, rarely-heard works such as Muczynski's Fantasy Trio, Schubert's Salve Regina and Paer's Beatus Vir. The Venner is comprised primarily of Mr. Johnson's friends and colleagues from The Cleveland Orchestra and from The Cleveland State University (where he is on Faculty). Recently, The Venner invited soprano Coeli Ingold to join their ensemble, thereby expanding the group's repertoire from a purely instrumental platform to include the great vocal chamber music literature of the Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary periods.

The Venner Ensemble has a flexible and versatile configuration, and its members are Coeli Ingold, soprano, Diane Mather, 'cello, Erich Eichorn, violin, Arthur Klima, viola, and Eric Ziolek, piano and composer. In coming seasons the ensemble will premier a contemporary work written by the group's pianist, Eric Ziolek. With the group's diverse array of instrumentalists, any combination or reduction of the following instruments is available: clarinet, violin, viola, cello, voice, and piano. Contact information is listed below.

Repertoire List (Secular)

• Bellini/Nicolai, Variazioni Concertanti (Virtuoso Aria for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano from Bellini’s La Sonnambula, arr. by Otto Nicolai)
• Beethoven: Trio B-dur, Op. 11 (Clarinet Violincello, Piano)
• Zemlinsky: Trio, Op. 3 (Clarinet, Violincello, Piano)
• Brahms: Trio A Minor, Op. 26 (Clarinet Violincello, Piano)
• Mozart: Parto, Parto (Aria from La Clemenzo di Tito for Soprano, Violincello, Piano)
• Schubert: Der Hirt auf dem Felsen/The Shepherd on the Rock (Soprano, Clarinet, Piano)
• Spohr: Sechs Deutschen Arien/Six German Songs (Soprano, Clarinet, Piano)
• Spohr: Aria from Faust (Soprano, Clarinet, Piano)
• Ziolek: World Premiere of New Composition, TBA

Repertoire (Sacred)

• Paer: Psalm 111, Beatus Vir (Soprano, Clarinet, Piano)
• Schubert: Salve Regina in F (Soprano, Clarinet, Piano)

Contact Information for The Venner Ensemble: