The Rautio Piano Trio is a London-based chamber ensemble widely praised for performances of exceptional clarity, depth and historical insight. With a particular focus currently on 18th and 19th century repertoire, the Trio performs on both modern and period instruments, bringing fresh perspective to core works of the piano trio literature.

The Trio are in the midst of a landmark project recording the complete Beethoven piano trios on fortepiano with Resonus Classics. The first two volumes have been met with outstanding reviews, including five stars in BBC Music Magazine, and have been broadcast widely on BBC Radio 3. The cycle will be completed in 2027, followed by a concert at Wigmore Hall on its Graf-model fortepiano.

The Rautio Trio has performed extensively for over a decade at major venues across the UK, including Kings Place, South Bank and Bridgewater Hall, and appeared widely across Europe, with concerts in France, Austria and Germany.  Alongside their historical performance work, the Trio is strongly committed to contemporary music, particularly by British composers. They commissioned and gave the world premiere of a piano trio by Brian Elias at Kings Place in a concert named among The Guardian’s Top Ten Cultural Events of the Year, and have also worked closely with Sally Beamish in performances of her work Seafarer for trio and narrator.

With a growing commitment to programming piano trios by women composers, the Rautio Trio has performed works by Ethel Smyth, Lili Boulanger, Germaine Tailleferre, Amy Beach and Judith Weir. In autumn 2026, they will present programmes entitled Patronage: Martines to Beethoven’s Archduke, featuring new transcriptions by pianist Jan Rautio of works by Marianne Martines.

Reflecting their interest in historical perspective and creative reinterpretation, the Trio also performs imaginative transcriptions of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, reshaping larger-scale works for the piano trio medium.

Formed at the Royal Academy of Music and IMS Prussia Cove, the Trio’s early career was supported by a series of prestigious UK awards and fellowships.

Jane Gordon – violin

A wonderfully versatile musician, Jane’s musical activities span classical concerti, solo recitals, a wide variety of chamber music, period instrument performance and play/directing orchestras from the violin. In 2023 Jane was appointed leader of La Nuova Musica. She has worked as guest leader with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (directing, UK), London Bach Society (directing, UK), Glyndebourne (OAE community opera), European Brandenburg Ensemble (Trevor Pinnock, Germany), Early Opera Company (Christian Curnyn, UK), Korean National Opera (Matthew Halls, Seoul) and Casa da Musica (Laurence Cummings, Portugal). She has also regularly performed with Arcangelo and English Baroque Soloists. 

Jane has performed extensively at major festivals and concert halls throughout Europe, Asia and America. Off stage, she has written articles published in Classical Music Magazine and The Strad, and has given interviews on BBC Radio 3, World Service and Radio 4 on a variety of music-related topics. Jane is artistic director of Hastings Chamber Music Festival. In 2017 she was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Victoria Simonsen – cello

Described as ‘beautifully sensitive and composed’ by The Times, Victoria enjoys a varied musical life that incorporates solo, chamber music and orchestral concerts as well as teaching. She joined the Rautio Piano Trio in 2015 and previously had notable success in the Barbirolli Quartet. Her love of chamber music has lead to concerts at festivals such as the IMS Prussia Cove, Manchester International, BBC Proms London, Kronberg Germany, Banff Canada, Singapore and Chamber Music NZ. Her performances have been broadcast on radio and TV in the UK, Germany and NZ and concerts have included Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room.

Victoria was Principal Cellist with Opera North (2005-07) followed by a decade as a member of the Philharmonia Orchestra and she regularly appears as Guest Principal with many of the UK’s major orchestras. Victoria is on the faculty at the Royal Northern College of Music, having studied there herself under Karine Georgian and Ralph Kirshbaum, culminating in winning the school’s highest award, the Gold Medal, in 2006. She continued her studies as a string quartet fellow at the Guildhall School of Music and later with Julius Berger in Germany. Victoria was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and is now based in London.

Jan Rautio – piano

Jan Rautio is a critical acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, composer and conductor. His work has taken him to many performance venues across the UK, Europe, Russia and the USA with highlights including Edinburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall, Palazzo Borghese in Rome, the Yusupov Palace in St Petersburg, Hambacher Musikfest in Germany, and the Charleston International Piano Series. Jan has given numerous live broadcasts on BBC Radio3 together with the Rautio Piano Trio, having established a reputation as a critically acclaimed chamber musician with the latter.

Jan is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Ponte Cultura Music & Arts Festival in Vero (France) and the Music Director of the “Diversity” chamber choir. As their conductor he led them in performances in London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, Gasteig Philharmonie in Munich and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, amongst others.
Jan is a graduate of the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. In 2017 he was made the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for his services to music life in the UK.