Named as a tribute to Viennese composer Arnold Schoenberg, the Arnold Trio was founded in 2018 between Berlin and Paris. A rare and surprising ensemble in the European musical landscape, this string trio quickly established a strong identity through their constant quest for a consistency of sound, usually exclusive to quartets, and an expressive ensemble character of remarkable force.

All three are versatile musicians with a string of prestigious international competition prizes between them. Shuichi Okada (violin), Manuel Vioque-Judde (viola) and Bumjun Kim (cello) forged their common musical DNA for over a decade at the Seiji Ozawa international Academy, Switzerland, advised by Pamela Frank, Nobuko Imai, Sadao Harada and Seiji Ozawa.

Regularly invited to play on the big stages as soloists and in chamber music, they have already performed at the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Théâtre des Champs Elysée, the Paris Philharmonic, BOZAR in Brussels, Schloss Elmau, Matsumoto Harmony Hall and the Tanglewood Seiji Ozawa Hall.

The Arnold Trio’s first album, dedicated to the three string trios in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 9 (Mirare 2021), was critically acclaimed and awarded a Diapason d’Or.  Their second album, recorded live, focuses on Richard Strauss (B-record 2023) with the trio providing the centre of gravity for numerous guests to deliver an impressive version of the quartet with piano from Opus 13 and the Metamorphosen for string septet. Finally, their third album pays homage to Hungarian music for trios by Dohnanyi, Kodaly and Lajtha (Mirare 2024).

Recognised as one of the most impressive young European ensembles, the trio has already been heard on France Musique, Radio Classique, RTBF, BBC Radio 3 and broadcast live on ARTE Concert and Medici TV. The three members of the Arnold Trio are laureates of the Banque Populaire Foundation and in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation.