About NRE

The New River Ensemble draws upon a wide array of influences to present chamber music programs, film scores and educational workshops that tug at the boundaries which traditionally bind “chamber music ensembles.” NRE moves smoothly from standard repertoire to modern composition, from extended techniques to improvisation. Their programs juxtapose pieces from different time periods and genres, challenging audiences to hear these pieces in a new light. In addition to mining the clarinet and flute trio repertoire of the past centuries, NRE arranges and composes much of their own music.

The members of NRE are:

Martha Hyde- clarinet, flute, saxophone

Lisa Liske- cello

Brendan Cooney- piano, plucked strings

Martha Hyde has wide experience teaching all ages, having run band programs in New York City public schools as well as teaching one to one and in small classes in both public and private school settings. She teaches woodwinds and runs the jazz ensemble at Friends Music Camp www.friendsmusiccamp.org during the month of July and has a small library of compositions for youth wind and jazz ensembles..

As a performer Martha has played in venues ranging from Alice Tully Hall to CBGB's to the Cathedral of St. John the Devine as well as tours on four continents. She can regularly be seen in the orchestra pits on Broadway and has performed with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Carmen McRae, Whoopi Goldberg, Antonio Banderas and Glenn Close and she appears on numerous cast recordings. 

Lisa Liske pursues and promotes the art of cello playing and the public enjoyment of live music across genres including improvisation and traditional music as well as classical, early, and new music. A master cello teacher with numerous young professionals counting her as a major influence, she is taking a sabbatical this year to finish several pedagogic works for cello. Her new scholarly project, A Practical Pedagogy of Expression, is taking her around the world in music to examine the methods musicians use to make music move. 

Brendan Cooney writes cartoon music for Pencilmation and silent film scores for Not So Silent Cinema (for which he is music director). Little did he know when he went to Oberlin College for Jazz piano that he would one day be playing and composing chamber music. In his spare time he raises chickens and thinks about the end of the world. Brendan lives in Philadelphia.