Trio sTREga is a chamber group co-founded by Polish clarinettist Katarzyna (Kasia) Marczak and Italian pianist Erika Crinó.  Kasia and Erika met in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia while both completing their Doctorates in Performance. Their shared love for chamber music led them to form Trio sTREga, while still studying at the university. Originally composed of clarinet, cello and piano, after the recent move to Toronto, the trio changed its profile into a combination of clarinet, violin and piano, with the introduction of outstanding violinist Ewa Sas.

The trio has made its debut in 2006 in Vancouver and was immediately invited to perform at the “New Music Alberta” (Edmonton, Alberta) series during its 2006-2007 concert season. After a short Winter Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Alberta), where Erika and Kasia collaborated with such artists as Berry Shiffman and Henk Guittart, they moved to Toronto. Trio sTREga quickly established itself as a young and approachable group, recognized for its friendly but professional readings of even the most complex scores.
Trio sTREga is strongly dedicated to communication with its audience. Explanations and comments are always included in the performances, linking new works to the more classical ones, presenting background information and relating music to the different arts. The trio’s commitment to a wider appreciation of music is also evident in the numerous outreach performances in conservatories, community halls, art and social events, as well as TV appearances.

Trio sTREga’s interest in new music lead to the commission in 2010 of a new work inspired by Glenn Gould’s radio trilogy, The Idea of North. The new trio, The North Imagined: a Tribute to Glenn Gould, by UofT Professor Norbert Palej was taken on tour by sTREga in October 2010, when it was presented extensively in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.  In this occasion, Trio sTREga was heard both in academic settings, such as UBC, UVic, Vancouver Music Academy, as well as in outreach halls, such as in Regina, giving several recitals, masterclasses, and lectures.
In February 2011, Trio sTREga was invited to participate in the renown New Music Festival at the University of Toronto. For this event, sTREga commissioned and premiered a new trio by composer Kevin Lau. OMNI TV also offered a special broadcast dedicated to the group, with excerpts from the concert as well as individual interviews. On this occasion, Trio sTREga also proudly collaborated with cellist David Hetherington and received many enthusiastic comments from composers Chen Yi and Chan Ka Nin, whose music they performed.

In Toronto, sTREga regularly appears at the Koffler Centre for the Arts and at Heliconian Hall, where it has just completed a series dedicated to the four seasons, with a mixture of solos, duos and trios. The trio is also committed to its participation in the life of its adopted city: sTREga performed for Dream Makers, a children’s charity, and was invited several times by the Polish Consulate of Toronto to celebrate important events such as the visit of the Polish First Lady, the honouring of Tamara Jaworska’s works and the opening of the exhibition commemorating Katyn’s genocide at Metro Hall.  

STREga has proudly collaborated with a variety of artists such as soprano Vania Chan, cellists David Hetherington, Mateusz Swoboda and Luke Pomorski, pianist Brett Kingsbury, photographer Tanya Workman, painter Tamara Harut and composers Dr. Norbert Palej, Dr. Jocelyn Morlock and Dr. Piotr Grella-Możejko among others.