janus was formed with the goal of creating new sounds for the flute/viola/harp combination. We are also committed to bridging the gap between performer, composer and listener. The first step toward this goal has been creating an open dialogue between ourselves and other artists who are as enthusiastic about finding the future trio sounds as we are. Masterclasses are not only a great resource for composers to learn more about the characteristics and sonic possibilities of our instruments but provide for janus the opportunity to meet and work with up and coming writers. The flute/viola/harp repertoire may be as small as it is because many composers are not comfortable writing for the combination these three very different instruments. To our goal of building the trio repertoire, janus has worked with composers from the music departments of Yale, Princeton, NYU and Harvard Universities in composition and/or orchestration classes.