Founded in Switzerland, Trio Archai are rapidly building momentum in their home cities of Basel and London. With extensive chamber music experience between them, Mar Valor (piano), Ayla Sahin (violin) and Finn Mannion (cello) met at the Musik-Akademie Basel and were quick to recognise their unique bond as a trio. Studying with Claudio Martínez Mehner and Zoltan Fejérvári at their academy, the trio has enjoyed further coaching from Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Alexander Lonquich Rainer Schmidt, Anton Kernjak and Robert Levin. 

In March 2024, Trio Archai won First Prize at the 72nd Royal Over-Seas League Competition in London. The trio will debut at the Wigmore Hall in June this year as part of the ROSL Arts Gold Medal Ceremony. Awarded Making Music’s Philip and Dorothy Green Young Artist Award (PDGYA), they look forward to concert engagements in festivals and music societies around the UK.

Prizewinners of the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Competition in Lucerne, Trio Archai received a specially-commissioned work from composer Dominic Röthlisberger to be premiered at the 2024 Swiss Chamber Music Festival. They will appear at Schaffhausen-Klassik in June, giving a full recital in Rathauslaube Schaffhausen.

Named after the Spirits of Personality, Archai (pronounced ‘Ark-eye’) is also the plural of the word ‘Arche’, meaning the beginning or the first principle of the world in ancient Greek philosophy. The name was chosen to signify their origins, principles and desires to evolve and make music together. With their roots spread across all corners of Europe, Trio Archai is a miniature melting pot of culture from Scotland, Turkey, Spain, Ireland and Germany. Using this to their advantage, the trio strives to expand their knowledge beyond the standard repertoire and challenge audiences in future performances.