Three Rivers Mandolin Consort

Three Rivers Mandolin Consort (TRMC) is a not-for-profit music performance and educational group centered on the classical use of the mandolin-based family of instruments.   TRMC consists of the following instruments:   1st and 2nd mandolins, mandola, mandocello, classic (nylon) string guitar, and upright acoustic bass.   This mirrors a similar configuration based on the violin family and commonly referred to as a "romantic" sextet.   The instruments match in tuning and register:   violin/mandolin, mandola/viola, and mandocello/cello.   The primary difference is that mandolin-based instruments are fretted and picked as opposed to being non-fretted and bowed.

The mission of the TRMC is to preserve and proliferate polyphonic mandolin-based ensemble music in the tradition of Pittsburgh artists such as Valentine Abt, Percy Lichtenfels, and H. Russell Truitt.   New music will be brought into the repertoire through original arrangement and transcriptions of popular and classical pieces including work from musicians with strong Western Pennsylvania connections such as Stephen Foster, Henry Mancini, and Errol Garner.   Special emphasis will be placed on preserving ethnic music traditions from all over the world, including Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Greece and other countries.   The goal is to connect to the past, enhance and pass on the tradition to future generations.