To name a piano trio after the popular nineteenth century German poet Christian Morgenstern was the inspiration of Catherine Klipfel, piano, Stefan Hempel, violin, and Emanuel Wehse, cellist, who met during their studies at the Folkwang Conservatory in Essen, Germany.

After only two short years of working together, the Morgenstern Trio emerged on the German Music Scene by being awarded top prizes and awards, such as the prestigious US Kalichstein– Laredo - Robinson Trio Award in 2010. For the twenty prize concerts, the Morgenstern Trio has received superlative reviews and immediate re-invitations for following seasons. This prize catapulted them onto the scene in the USA with performances in Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center and at Carnegie Hall and other venues in NY, followed by concerts in such cities as Chicago, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Carmel, Louisville, Lexington, to Palm Beach.

Catherine Klipfel was born in Strasbourg and studied in Metz, Essen, Detmold and Cologne. Since 1999 she has been active as a soloist in numerous prestigious orchestras. Her recitals were broadcasted in various radio stations and she earned national as well as international awards. In 2005 she founded the Morgenstern Trio which was highly distinguished at for example the ARD competition. Together with Stefan Hempel (violin) and Emanuel Wehse (Cello) she performed on the world’s most considerable stages, New York Carnegie Hall and the Berlin Philharmonie among them. Catherine Klipfel has been engaged for concert tours in Europe, the US and Asia and she has done numerous CD recordings together with her trio. Catherine Klipfel regularly plays solo recitals and is frequently requested as a chamber music partner. She has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic String Quartet, with Niek De Groot, Heiner Schindler and Nils Mönkemeyer.

One of the most versatile violinists of his generation, Stefan Hempel won numerous prizes in competitions such as the Max Rostal Competition, Michael Hill International Violin Competition New Zealand and „Schubert und die Musik der Moderne“ in Graz, Austria. He studied violin with Stephan Picard and chamber music with Eberhard Feltz at the “Hanns Eisler” Hochschule in Berlin. Winner of the “Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson”-Award, the trio performed in South Korea and Taiwan in 2017. Numerous radio recordings and CD productions give evidence of the ensemble’s exceptional quality. He gives Masterclasses in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China and the U.S. and is a jury member in international music competitions. He plays a violin made by Nicola Gagliano, ca. 1760.

Emanuel Wehse received his first cello lessons from his father. Later, he studied with Heinrich Hecker and Ulrike Schaeffer at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in his hometown of Mainz. He completed his studies at the Folkwang University in Essen with Young‐Chang Cho. Emanuel Wehse regularly performs duo recitals and solo concerts, including Beethoven‘s Triple Concerto, with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, and the Orchestre National de Lorraine. From 2011 to 2014, he was principal cellist with the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra in Essen. In 2012, Emanuel Wehse founded the Ensemble Ruhr with like‐minded musicians from North Rhine‐Westphalia. The ensemble has made a name for itself with innovative, conductor‐less, chamber orchestra‐sized concert projects and was awarded the „Culture and Creative Pilot 2014“ prize by the German Federal Government. Since 2006, Emanuel Wehse has been a teacher for the cello section of the Rhineland‐Palatinate State Youth Orchestra.