The three Ahn sisters will perform "Ahn-Plugged" to kick off the Carrboro ArtsCenter's World Arts Festival on Friday. The trio performs selections ranging from David Bowie and the Beatles to Beethoven -- evidence that they are anything but the Von Trapps.
"These women are amazing," said Tess Ocana of the marketing department at the ArtsCenter. "They're very young, but they've been raised to be classical musicians."
Sisters Angella, Maria and Lucia Ahn, who play violin, cello and piano, respectively, were born in Seoul, Korea -- and their first public ensemble performance aired in 1979 on Korean television.
Following a warm reception and rave reviews, they enrolled in the prestigious Julliard School in 1981 and have been spreading their unique blend of classical and contemporary music through workshops and master classes ever since.
But the three sisters' influence is not only associated with musical prowess. Springboarding onto the public scene, they have appeared in countless magazines and have even managed to penetrate the world of fashion.
Publications like Time, Vogue, GQ and The New York Times have featured stories about the Ahns, and many people who attend the performance might recognize their faces and fashion savvy from advertisements for the Gap.
"(The store) wanted a very diverse campaign, and they chose the Ahn Trio to represent another side of the Gap," Ocana said.
Middle and high school students will be able to witness both the Ahns' fashion sense and musical talents at a lecture demonstration in the ArtsCenter's School Show Series on Friday morning.
The lecture and following demonstration will begin at 11 a.m. and will be a close and personal connection with the sisters.
