“’I feel so much pain every day, but while you were here performing, I felt none of it’,” violinist Zach De Pue recalls a quote from an elderly woman early on in his career when Time for Three was performed at a nursing home. "Kinda makes it worth being a musician," he says of that memory.

Time for Three (Tf3) has since outgrown the stages of nursing homes and community centers. They have performed across the world on intimate stages and huge concert halls, ranging from Carnegie Hall to TV's Dancing with the Stars. They are returning to Austin this weekend to perform as a part of the Austin Chamber Music Festival. They’ll perform the classics of chamber music, as well as their own arrangements of bluegrass and mash-ups.

The group "defies traditional genre classification, happily and infectiously." Derived of fellow students Zachary (Zach) De Pue, Nicolas (Nick) Kendall and Ranaan Meyer from Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, the trio regularly performs music from Bach to the Beatles and beyond "with an uncommon mix of virtuosity and showmanship." 

The trio has plenty to say about the evolving form of classical music. When asked about the group’s perception as genre-bending and non-traditional classical musicians, Zach said that his image as a classical violinist was not high on his priority list.

"I have never been concerned about image honestly. I have only been focused on staying true to what excites and moves me as an artist and musician.  I have let my heart be my guide and it hasn’t failed me yet." 

For more from Nick, Ranaan, and Zach, listen to their talk with KMFA's Content Director John Clare by clicking the orange audio play button above. They discuss their latest release, Time For Three, from Universal Music Classics.

Find out more information about Tf3's performance Saturday evening at the Austin Chamber Music Festival.

NPR's Tiny Desk Concert with Time for Three