The Zodiac Trio performs at Spectrum March 26 at Spectrum

An atypical combination of instruments (piano, violin, and clarinet) the Zodiac Trio formed in 2006 at the Manhattan School of Music, the members connecting over a mutual love of eclectic music. The Zodiac Trio is paving the way for new generations of compositions for this unusual grouping by commissioning and performing new works. The program at Spectrum on March 26 features the world premiere of John McDonald's Trio about Smoking, written especially for the trio. Cast in three brief movements, the piece is both an ode to musician/smokers' stress-relief potential and a health warning. Also on the program are the New York premieres of Andrew List's Dreams from the Aboriginal Dreamtime, a composition inspired by the creation legends of the Australian Aboriginals; Zodiac: Across the Universe, a series of one-minute miniatures by twelve different composers each describing a sign of the zodiac; and Guillaume Connesson's Techno Parade, a whimsical whirlwind of a piece transcribed for the Zodiac Trio by the group's violinist Vanessa Mollard.