Trio Brontë

Chiara Sannicandro, violin
Annie Jacobs-Perkins, cello
Lili Bogdanova, piano

Trio Brontë was founded in Berlin in 2022 and consists of German-Italian violinist Chiara Sannicandro, Bulgarian pianist Lili Bogdanova, and American cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins. Having grown up immersed in the fervent, turbulent novels by the Brontë sisters, the trio is named after the Brontës and is inspired by their passion for storytelling, their intelligence, and companionship.

After playing together for only a few months, the Trio Brontë won first prize at the 2023 Ilmari Hannikainen International Piano Chamber Music Competition in Finland. This season has brought them more success in competitions, including first prize and the special prize at Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne Competition in Graz, Austria and second prize at the 2025 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschulwettbewerb in Berlin, Germany.

Highlights of their 2024-2025 season include performances at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Stefaniensaal Graz, Mendelssohn-Haus (Leipzig), and Aldeburgh’s Jubilee Hall as a 2024-2025 Britten Pears Young Artist, as well as further performances in Germany, Holland, and the UK.
In March of 2023 Trio Brontë appeared as soloists for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia under the baton of Jan Söderblom. Their performance from this concert was featured on the Finnish Broadcasting Company of Finland, YLE’s streaming service Areena.

After winning a grant from the Bulgarian “Culture Perspectives” Foundation, they collaborated to present their program “Un Jour,” focusing on works by Germaine Tailleferre, Mel Bonis, Kaija Saariaho, and Lili Boulanger in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Trio Brontë has also been generously supported by the Förderverein der Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler. Annie, Lili, and Chiara met while studying at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin where they are currently coached by Jonathan Aner. They have received additional coaching from Eldar Nebolsin, Troels Svane, and David Waterman.