Long ago I went to youth dances at St. Thomas the Apostle church on Alta Vista Drive. It was called The Tower then, because of the building’s tall façade, although the 300 self-conscious kids out for fun on a Saturday night were jammed into the church’s basement. The only break from the social pressure and bad body scents was to sneak next door to the back of the fire station and smoke a joint or drink a beer, depending on whether the firemen were watching TV or sitting outside.

Sometime since, the church decided to move its music upstairs, into the room where pews make it more comfortable to listen to classical music. Many Ottawa churches host concerts, and most I’ve attended are delightful because these rooms were made for good acoustics. To hear really good music played really well is much more than delightful. So when I stumbled excitedly on the lineup at St Thomas for February 21, my first thought was: how did this fly under the radar?

Blinova, Mastoussova, Rykov

The program lists the Diaghilev Trio performing Arensky, Haydn and Piazzolla at 6 pm for free or a donation. This surprised me because the Diaghilev Trio I know is very Italian and very old, and would likely never perform in a Canadian church for free. So I went searching, and found another trio on Facebook, but rather than sliding into disappointment, I became even more excited. The concert would be the first performance together for Olga Rykov, Sonya Matoussova and Ioulia Blinova.

The names may not be well-known because all three are not much older than the girls from those hormone-ridden Saturday nights downstairs. But they are amazingly talented and represent the possibility of magic that can emerge from the immigrant experience. Violinist Rykov came from Minsk and cellist Matoussova from St. Petersburg;  pianist Blinova is also from Russia, but I’m not sure from what city. All three started studying with some of the best teachers when they were children and have continued the trend here in Canada. Their pedigrees are profound for women so young. Maybe that’s not surprising considering how important classical music is to their original cultures.

The Diaghilev Trio is not the first ensemble for each: Cadenza Strings is another that co-founder Matoussova and guest Rykov have played with, and the slightly older Blinova is best known as a teacher and accompanist. What excites me is the possibility that these three young women might coalesce into something greater than their individual abilities. It’s impossible to predict because they only started playing together seriously a few months ago. But magic always starts off as something mundane before it is transformed by creative alchemy.

The chance to hear three such talented performers in good acoustics for a decent entry fee is something that rarely happens in this city. It is sure to be a treat for any music fan.

St. Thomas the Apostle Church is at 2345 Alta Vista Dr., almost at the corner of Randall Ave.