Poiema Trio, dedicated to sharing the joy of chamber music with audiences and students of all demographics, infuses their performances with spontaneity, imagination, and storytelling. Poiema formed in the summer of 2023 at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival after bonding over a shared affinity for folk traditions and improvisation and falling in love with making music together over many late night reading sessions. In their brief time together, they have performed and taught workshops across the eastern half of the US and are recipients of the 2024 Gold Medal Prize from the Ninth International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition. The vibrant members have backgrounds in historical performance, folk, jazz, and production, hold degrees from the Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and are currently working on arranging folk tunes for piano trio. Their name, "Poiema," means poetry at the intersection of beauty and brokenness, a poignant reminder of an artist's true calling.

Praised by Sing Tao Daily for “…bringing the audience into a different sound world with her vibrant tones,” pianist Anran Qian is a versatile and compelling musician whose performances have taken her across Asia, Europe, and North America. She has earned international recognition as a prizewinner and laureate of competitions including the Valsesia Musica International Piano Competition, Chicago International Music Competition, Pro Musicis International Award, and the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy Concerto Competition.​ Beyond the stage, Anran finds joy in improvisation, composition, and teaching, continually exploring new ways to connect with people through music. Believing in music’s power to foster understanding and build community, she founded ArsNova, a free concert series in Newton, Massachusetts, dedicated to showcasing underrepresented voices and making classical music more accessible. A passionate performer and educator, she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University while serving on the piano faculty at Brookline Music School.

Originally hailing from Chattanooga Tennessee, Nathan Francisco is a versatile musician with a diverse range of musical interests. Active both as a soloist and ensemble musician, Francisco has a deep commitment to sharing his love of music with the world. He is passionate about historical performance and folk music, and has extensively studied baroque cello and viola da gamba as well as organ and other historical keyboards. Currently studying at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Zvi Plesser, Zlatomir Fung, and Sarah Cunningham, Francisco’s past teachers have included Richard Aaron, Peter Wiley, Wesley Baldwin, Martha Bishop, and Judy Glass. He has studied at several acclaimed festivals, including Taos, Kneisel, and Bowdoin, and also serves as assistant director of two chamber music festivals in Collegedale, TN. In his recreational time, Francisco enjoys hiking, playing disc golf, and sight reading chamber music with friends.

Praised for her “full-bodied, rich, and warm tone” (Cleveland.com), violinist and educator Ann Yu draws endless inspiration from exploring multiple genres and musical styles in the historical and modern musical traditions, leading her to unique and groundbreaking projects with Apollo’s Fire, the Poiema Trio, the Caroga Arts Collective, Project: Music Heals Us, CLE Concierto, and the Resonance Master Series. Ann earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Jaime Laredo, Jan Sloman, and William Preucil, and was the 1st prize winner of the 26th Annual Darius Milhaud Competition and Concerto Competition and the recipient of the Fortnightly Musical Club Award. Her training also includes prestigious programs such as Thy Masterclass, Kneisel Hall, the Perlman Music Program, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the National Youth Orchestra-USA, and the Credo Festival, where she later served on faculty for four summers. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, the CIM Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra. In Cleveland, Ann performs regularly with Apollo’s Fire, Forest City Strings (Candlelight Concerts), and in local chamber music settings. She teaches privately and through the Cleveland Orchestra’s Crescendo Program at the Cleveland School of the Arts and Campus International School. She also enjoys jamming with local bluegrass, old-time, blues, tango, and swing jazz musicians. In her free time, Ann loves sight reading chamber music, hiking in the national park, and dancing lindy hop and blues.