The Northwest Piano Trio was founded in fall 2014. Based in Portland, OR, the trio is committed to accessible concert experiences that highlight the way music is an integral part of the human experience. Through eclectic and creative programming, their goal is to reengage classical music audiences with repertoire ranging from time-honored classics to the works of present-day composers. They are passionate about collaboration with artists of other disciplines to give listeners a unique, contemporary perspective on a non-contemporary art form.

Esther Shim grew up studying violin with Kathryn Gray and piano with Sylvia Killman and playing with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony under Lajos Balogh. She attended DePauw University in Indiana for Violin Performance. Since returning to Portland, she has devoted her time to teaching, adjudicating, and coaching the next generation of musicians. She plays with Portland Festival Symphony, Willamette Master Chorus, and subs with the Oregon Symphony.  In her spare time, she loves to cook for her friends and get lost in a book.

After eight years as a full-time ICU nurse, Hannah Hillebrand decided to pursue her passion and completed her master’s degree in cello performance with Hamilton Cheifetz at Portland State University in 2014. While pursuing her degree, she participated in masterclasses with artists such as the Takacs String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet and cellists Johannes Moser and Alban Gerhardt. She continues to work part-time as a nurse while enjoying a busy freelancing schedule. She thrives on collaboration and enjoys working with artists of all varieties to present multi-disciplinary performances. She has a busy private teaching schedule with students of a wide variety of ages. Hannah is an avid traveler and photographer (www.alaskalightphotography.com) and her wildlife and landscape photography has been featured internationally. 

Somewhere along the way to becoming a concert pianist, Stephanie fell in love with chamber music and discovered her passion for promoting composers and new compositions. Stephanie promotes a life of balance that includes the arts, self-care, and stress reduction. 
Born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance (1998) from University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music in Chamber Music Performance (2001) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In the Bay Area, she served as Artistic Director for Queer Chorus of San Francisco from 2000-2008, commissioning “Halloween in the Castro: A Horror Opera” by Jack Curtis Dubowsky and the musical “Group Therapy” by June Bonacich, along with countless pieces for choir and solo voice.  From 2012-2022, Stephanie toured as concert pianist with Broadway veteran Franc D’Ambrosio (The Godfather III/Phantom of the Opera) and had the privilege of witnessing and playing for the ceremony knighting him “Cavaliere” by the Italian government. As a performing artist, she was Artist in Residence for Shari Carlson Studio (San Francisco) and Bergstrasse Evangelical Lutheran Church (Ephrata, Pennsylvania) and currently appears in concert with Merideth Kaye Clark and Susannah Mars. Since August 2023, Stephanie is on the faculty of the Newport Performing Arts Festival in Newport, Oregon, presenting workshops in performance, music theory and reading, performance anxiety management, and ensemble work. In 2023-2024, her production company Miss Smith Presents will produce showcases of diverse, living composers from the Bay Area, as well as a William Finn tribute. She can be found regularly accompanying her students in livestreams on the Miss Smith Presents YouTube channel.
​In October 2021, she accepted a staff teaching position in Portland at Resound NW: A Place to Sing and maintains her performance studios in Salem, Portland and San Francisco. After several decades of touring, conducting and interim work, she is thrilled to return to her first love of chamber music. Joining Esther Sim and Hannah Hillebrand with the Northwest Piano Trio is a dream come true.