Rilian Trio

Godwin Friesen, Piano

Daniel Dastoor, Violin

David Liam Roberts, Cello

Brought together by their shared passion for chamber music and musical narrative, the Rilian Trio is composed of three of Canada’s leading young musicians—pianist Godwin Friesen, violinist Daniel Dastoor, and cellist David Liam Roberts—who joined forces in 2021 at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. They were awarded the first prize, the audience prize, and the prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned piece at the 2023 Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition, and in 2026, they were awarded first prize at the Ilmari Hannikainen International Piano Chamber Competition. Since 2024, they have collaborated with the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, where they are Associate Artists in Residence.

Recent and upcoming engagements include debuts in Oslo, Bergen, Kongsberg, and Trømsø, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; Waterloo, Belgium; and Calgary and Niagara, Canada. During the 2024-25 season the trio also returned to Trondheim as festival artists at the Trondheim Kammermusikkfestival.

The Rilian Trio’s earliest mentorship came from cellist Bryan Epperson at the Glenn Gould School (GGS), where they were awarded first prize at the GGS Chamber Music Competition. They have participated in the Trondheim International Chamber Academy, the IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses, and at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, and have worked with artists such as Miguel da Silva, Steven Isserlis, Elisabeth Kufferath, Claudio Martinez Mehner, Stefan Mendl, Régis Pasquier, and Christian Tetzlaff. Along with a quickly growing repertoire of established works, they have also premiered new works for piano trio and for piano quartet by their pianist, Godwin Friesen.

https://riliantrio.com