The Verdehr Trio was formed in 1972 by Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, clarinet, and Walter Verdehr, violin. Pianists were David Renner or Deborah Moriarty. In 1980, Gary Kirkpatrick joined as the permanent pianist. Later, Silvia Roederer became the permanent pianists. The Trio began commissioning works in 1976.

The mission of the Verdehr Trio, which they call "The Making of a Medium," is to create a repertoire of works that can be performed by a trio of clarinet, violin, and piano. As of 2012, the Trio hae commissioned over 200 new pieces from musicians all over the world.The repertoire expanded to include works for two or three solo instruments with orchestra or wind symphony, including concertos and other large-scale works. The repertoire ranges from arrangements of 18th Century music to music of the 21st Century. Many of the commissions were financially supported, in part, by Michigan State University.

The Trio has traveled extensivly in the U.S. and abroad. They have also made numerous video interviews with many of the composers they have commissioned, which have been released on DVD. Their DVD and CD series "Making of a Medium", has been very successful. In addition, they have also traveled extensively both in the US and abroad to perform their pieces.