The MIRA TRIO was founded in 2007 by pianist Byron Schenkman with violinist Gabriela Diaz and cellist Alexei Gonzales. Taken from Stella Mira, "the wonderful star" in astronomy, the trio's name reflects the power of music to inspire us with wonder. The trio's mission is to connect audiences at the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels through music. The Mira Trio focuses on music of the Classical and early Romantic periods, bringing new life to this repertoire through innovative programming, historically informed performance on modern instruments, and easy audience rapport. The Mira Trio's first performance at Seattle's Town Hall in April 2008 was hailed as "a distinguished debut" by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Highlights of the upcoming season include a project to record Mozart Trios for Centaur Records and a performance of works by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn at the Library of Congress.