July 20 & Aug. 3: Jupiter String Quartet Returns to Bowdoin International Music Festival for 2026
Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/jupiter-string
Jupiter String Quartet Returns to Bowdoin International Music Festival Performing on July 20 and August 3
Monday, July 20 at 7:30pm: Jupiter Quartet and Ying Quartet
Free Livestream Available
More Information
Monday, August 3 at 7:30pm: Jupiter Quartet
Studzinski Recital Hall | 12 Campus Road S. | Brunswick, ME
Tickets and More Information
Free Livestream for Both Performances: www.bowdoinfestival.org/festivalive
“an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.” – The New Yorker
Brunswick, ME – The internationally esteemed Jupiter String Quartet, a uniquely intimate ensemble built around family bonds, will present two distinctive programs at the 2026 Bowdoin International Music Festival this summer on July 20 and August 3. The first performance brings the Illinois-based ensemble together with their longtime friends and colleagues, the Ying Quartet (Robin Scott, Janet Ying, violin; Phillip Ying, viola; David Ying, cello) and the second features the bond-driven artistry of the Jupiters on their own. Both concerts take place at Studzinski Recital Hall, 12 Campus Road South, Brunswick, ME.
Based at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and giving concerts all over the country, the Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). While the Jupiter String Quartet are beloved, frequent guests at Bowdoin, this year is particularly special, as it marks their first visit with new violinist Mélanie Clapiès.
The Jupiter String Quartet continues to be a beloved presence at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, where their collaborative spirit aligns perfectly with the Festival's mission of bringing together exceptional musicians from around the world. Their partnership with the Ying Quartet has been a part of their performances over several seasons, creating the kind of musical friendships that produce memorable performances.
July 20, 7:30pm: The Jupiter String Quartet comes together on stage with longtime friends and collaborators, the Ying Quartet (Robin Scott, Janet Ying, violin; Phillip Ying, viola; David Ying, cello), for a performance highlighting the groups’ unique group chemistries in two works that embrace dynamic and deeply expressive melodies and harmonies. The concert will include: String Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 18 by Johannes Brahms, performed by the Jupiter String Quartet with violist Phillip Ying and cellist David Ying; and Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 by Felix Mendelssohn, performed by the Ying Quartet and Jupiter String Quartet. Tickets are sold out but the free livestream is available at www.bowdoinfestival.org/festivalive.
August 3, 7:30pm: The Jupiter String Quartet’s vibrant artistic connections shine in a colorful program inspired by nature and culture featuring Franz Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3 “The Bird,” Cançoes da America by Clarice Assad, and String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 by Johannes Brahms. Tickets and information with the free livestream are available here: https://www.bowdoinfestival.org/event/jupiter-string-quartet-2026/
Since forming in 2001, the Jupiter String Quartet has turned their unique family dynamic into a musical strength. The personal connections that bind them – sisters who grew up making music together, a marriage that deepened musical partnership – create an intuitive ensemble communication that audiences consistently notice. Their performances exude an energy that feels friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous, bringing their close-knit musical relationships to the stage.
“Bowdoin is our home away from home in the summer—an incredibly welcoming place where we can collaborate with wonderful fellow musicians, teach promising students, and enjoy hanging out with the huge chamber music family that surrounds the festival,” says the Jupiter String Quartet. “David and Phillip Ying and their fantastic staff always go out of their way to welcome our whole traveling circus of children, babysitters, relatives, etc., and we all look forward to our weeks in Maine throughout the year.”
More About Jupiter String Quartet: The Jupiter Quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. Their major music festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Music at Menlo, Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Centre, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program.
Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two.
The Jupiter String Quartet feels a strong connection to the core string quartet repertoire; they have presented the complete Bartok and Beethoven string quartets on numerous occasions. Also deeply committed to new music, they have commissioned string quartets from Nathan Shields, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Michi Wiancko, Syd Hodkinson, Hannah Lash, Dan Visconti, and Kati Agócs; a quintet with baritone voice by Mark Adamo; and a piano quintet by Pierre Jalbert.
In addition to Undreamed Shores, the Jupiter’s discography includes a collaborative album with the Jasper Quartet released on Marquis Records in 2021, featuring Dan Visconti’s Eternal Breath, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat, Op. 20, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round, which was praised by The Arts Fuse for its “smart program and fine execution.” The quartet has recorded previously for Azica Records and Deutsche Grammophon.
The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.
About the Bowdoin International Music Festival: The Bowdoin International Music Festival is one of the world’s premier music institutes. The Festival engages exceptional students and enthusiastic audiences through world-class education and performances. Each summer, 275 students from across the globe attend the Festival to study with distinguished faculty and guest artists, and the Festival presents 200 events, including concerts, masterclasses, composer lectures, and community programs. Over its 62-year history, the Festival has established itself as a vital force throughout the music world. The Festival is an independent non-profit organization. Learn more at bowdoinfestival.org.