Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat, cellist David Cunliffe, and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are known to the CMMB audience for their successful performance in October 2021 as the Lincoln Trio. Ruhstrat, Cunliffe, and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli make up the critically-acclaimed Black Oak Ensemble, one of the leading string trios on the international scene. When the two trios combine (yes, in this case, 3 + 3 = 4!), they become the superlative CHICAGO PIANO QUARTET.

The honors, achievements, and critical acclaim garnered by the Lincoln Trio and the Black Oak Ensemble are too numerous to mention. The Lincoln Trio was nominated for a 2017 GRAMMY Award for Best Performance by a Small Ensemble; their playing was praised by Joshua Kosman as "fervent and imaginative" and by The Strad as "sensational." The Black Oak Ensemble's latest CD reached #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts in July 2022. Since then, it has been lauded in the U.S. and international press, including Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany. Fanfare said, "The players fully inhabit the spirit of whatever work they are playing at the moment, performing each one with as ardent a flame as if they had written it themselves."