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Inspired by the multicultural environment that Rotterdam has to offer and the bond that was created through years of studying together at Codarts Rotterdam, with main subject teachers Chris Leenders and Ramon Lormans, Kāna Trio was founded in 2020 by Hugo Pereira, João Sequeira (Portugal) and Rens Rutten (The Netherlands). The trio shares the common ambition to develop new perspectives in percussion, by connecting with other music styles and art disciplines, in order to push the boundaries of the chamber music concert. This relatively unusual setting is not yet well known to the general public, the amount of repertoire written for trio percussion is relatively small in contrast to quartet and duo. This prompts the trio to be creative and look for new ways to bridge the gap between the audience and a mix of classical arrangements and contemporary music.
In 2025, Kāna will tour with their new show “Are we Nature?” as part of the Dutch Classical Talent finals. The program includes Nuno Lobo's “Clacky Thocky Poppy” for three computer keyboards, music by John Cage, and some of their own compositions and improvisations.
“Pure spectacle! They effortlessly show that rhythm is in everything and everyone, and play flawlessly with subtlety — powerful, but never too loud.”
- Jury of Dutch Classical Talent 2024/2025
Inspired by the multicultural environment that Rotterdam has to offer and the bond that was created through years of studying together at Codarts Rotterdam, with main subject teachers Chris Leenders and Ramon Lormans, Kāna Trio was founded in 2020 by Hugo Pereira, João Sequeira (Portugal) and Rens Rutten (The Netherlands). The trio shares the common ambition to develop new perspectives in percussion, by connecting with other music styles and art disciplines, in order to push the boundaries of the chamber music concert. This relatively unusual setting is not yet well known to the general public, the amount of repertoire written for trio percussion is relatively small in contrast to quartet and duo. This prompts the trio to be creative and look for new ways to bridge the gap between the audience and a mix of classical arrangements and contemporary music.
After several performances and tours in the Netherlands, the trio concluded that there was a need for new music and projects. With this in mind, the trio challenged several composers to write new repertoire for their line-up.
This resulted in a work by the Dutch composer Friso van Wijck: “Trio for Percussion”, which premiered in February 2022.
In 2023, “Lost Luggage” was commissioned by German composer Florian Magnus Maier, and in 2024 the trio premiered “At once” by Annija Zarina on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Festival Wonderfeel.
Kāna won first prize at the Grachtenfestival Conservatory Competition (2022) and the Short Film Prize at the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg (2022).
“The jury was impressed by the enchanting, almost symbiotic interplay of the Kāna Trio. From the enormous colour palette, which ranged from whisper-soft marima sounds to the most ominous jungle violence.”
- Frank van den Brink – Grachtenfestival Conservatory Competition 2022
