Alma Trio
The original founding members of the Alma Trio were Roman Totenberg, violin; Gabor Rejto, cello; and Adolph Baller, piano. The members of the Trio had been encouraged by the famed artist, Yehudi Menuhin, to establish themselves as a professional piano trio. Adolph Baller had emigrated to the United States in 1938 with the sponsorship of Menuhin, following harrowing experiences at the hands of the Nazis in Austria and Germany. After arriving in the United States, Baller was a guest of Menuhin and became his regular collaborating pianist, as he had been earlier in Europe.
Violinist Andor Toth joined the trio in the Spring of 1963. During the Fall of 1963, the Alma Trio made their first Russian tour. At the airport, Rejto was informed of a new rule that he would need a second ticket for his cello, and there were no remaining seats available. Faced with the impending cancellation of the tour, Rejto responded quickly, “But it is a bass balalaika.” He was able to fly since that instrument was not listed by the airline.
Mr. Baller, who was born in Poland, was sent to Vienna at the age of 8 to study, and made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at 13. His career was halted by the Nazis in 1938, but he and his fiancee, Edith Strauss, escaped to Hungary, married, and came to the United States.
Mr. Baller was a pianist for the New York radio station WQXR, where he met Mr. Menuhin, whom he later accompanied on several world tours. In 1941 Mr. Baller, the violinist Roman Totenberg and the cellist Gabor Rejto formed the Alma Trio, and toured extensively until the mid-1980’s. Mr. Baller also taught at Stanford University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
–From “Adolph Baller; Pianist.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Jan. 1994
Andor Toth, violin
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Toth was internationally celebrated as a soloist, concert artist, conductor, and music educator. During his career, Toth played his violin to comfort wounded soldiers on the World War II battlefields of Aachen, Germany; he performed with the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini; formed several musical groups (most notably the Oberlin String Quartet); conducted symphonies in Cleveland, Denver, and Houston; and he was founding concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
–From San Francisco “Andor Toth In Memoriam” by Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice, 12 May 2006
Gabor Rejto, cello
Gabor Rejto was a founding member of the Alma Trio, cellist of the Paganini String Quartet, and the Hungarian Quartet. Throughout his career, he played both as a soloist and in concerts with major symphony orchestras, such as Vienna, Budapest, Rome and Warsaw. His 1952 5-week New Zealand tour with Yaltah Menuhin was greeted with critical and popular acclaim.
Rejto was born in Budapest in 1916. His early cello teachers included Frederick Teller and, importantly, Adolf Schiffer — a pupil of and assistant to David Popper.
Rejto served on the faculties of the Manhattan and Eastman Schools of Music (1949-1954). From 1954 until his death he was Professor of Cello at the University of Southern California. He led the Music Academy of the West summer program for gifted cellists, and gave extremely popular master classes to cellists and chamber musicians alike.
As a performer he distinguished himself as a soloist and in the most important areas of chamber music: duo, trio and string quartet. His concert tours took him literally all over the world: throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan and Africa.
