Photo courtesy of www.manhattanpianotrio.com

The Manhattan Piano Trio is made up of pianist Milana Strezeva, violinist Dmitry Lukin and cellist Dmitry Kouzov.

Musica Viva, a nonprofit, and Virginia Tech's University Chamber Music series are bringing the Manhattan Piano Trio to campus on Saturday.

The concert is the first show of Musica Viva's 2009-10 season and the second of the University Chamber Music's season, which started with "Neoclassical Masterworks" in August.

The trio -- pianist Milana Strezeva, cellist Dmitry Kouzov and violinist Dmitry Lukin -- will perform the 1915 "Ravel Trio" by Maurice Ravel, along with individual pieces for each instrument.

Formed in 2004, the trio has performed across the world and done outreach and for young music lovers, such as a benefit concert at the University of New Orleans for a community rebuilding effort.

During its visit here, the group will perform a benefit concert for students in Danville.

"They are engaging and wonderful when it comes to doing outreach to young people," said David Ehrlich, artistic director of Musica Viva, which promotes awareness and appreciation of the arts, especially chamber music. "I think it connects also with the outreach mission of Virginia Tech."

This is the first time Musica Viva and the University Chamber Music series have jointly sponsored a show.

"We wanted to unite our efforts because if we really work together and combine resources, we can attract people who aren't in Musica Viva's audience and who aren't in Tech's audience," Ehrlich said.

The groups have similar missions, so working together seemed natural, said Jay Crone, head of Tech's Department of Music.

"We're both trying to make arts more visible in the community," Crone said. "It's a win-win situation."

Both groups are also pairing with others to present shows this season. Musica Viva will host "Viva Vivaldi," a selection of unrecorded works by Antonio Vivaldi at Radford University's Covington Center for Visual and Performing Arts in November, and the University Chamber Music series is pairing with the Valley Music Lovers in the spring to present the Parker Quartet, a New York-based string quartet.

There are no definite plans to make the joint concert an annual event, but it is a possibility, both groups have said.

"These 'town-gown' interactions only help the music community grow," Crone said. "It's a way for us to get more involved in the community, and for them [Musica Viva] to be on campus."