Oct. 4: The Jupiter String Quartet Performs Free Concert at Vassar College – Music Shaped by Deep Expressions of Love and Admiration
Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution here
The Jupiter String Quartet Performs Free Concert at Vassar College
Music Shaped by Deep Expressions of Love and Admiration
“An ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene” – The New Yorker
Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm
Skinner Hall of Music | Vassar College | 100 Raymond Ave. | Poughkeepsie, NY
Free and Open to the Public
More Information
Poughkeepsie, NY – On Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm, the Jupiter String Quartet – an ensemble described by The New Yorker as having “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity” – will perform a free concert at Vassar College in Skinner Hall of Music (100 Raymond Ave.). The concert will include Canções da America by Clarice Assad, Lyric Suite by Alban Berg, Respiri by Juri Seo, and String Quartet in A minor, D 804, “Rosamunde” by Franz Schubert.
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). Founded in 2001, the ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music, and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous. They give concerts all over the country, and are artists-in-residence and faculty at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 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.
The program the Jupiter Quartet will perform at Vassar is composed of music from across cultures and time periods, shaped by deep expressions of love and admiration. Brazilian American composer, pianist, vocalist, and educator Clarice Assad is known for writing music with evocative colors and rich textures, which she imparts to Canções da America, a work celebrating the many cultures and histories found in South America through its own musical styles, from the Milonga dance of Uruguay to the choro of Brazil and the Tango of Argentina. Assad dedicated the piece to Argentine composer Claudia Montero, who died in 2021. Austrian composer Alban Berg was inspired to write his Lyric Suite in 1925, when he first became infatuated with Hanna Fuchs-Robettin – he hid her initials in the piece using the musical notes, and encoded other symbols and messages about their love in the six-movement work. Korean-born American composer Juri Seo wrote her piece Respiri in 2016, in memory of British composer Jonathan Harvey. Seo wrote her dissertation on Harvey’s string quartets and corresponded extensively with him during his final year of life. Respiri is influenced by Harvey’s Buddhist beliefs as well as his musical approach. Austrian composer Franz Schubert wrote his “Rosamunde” string quartet in 1824, and the piece represents a turning point in his music from lighter and more fanciful work, to a more intense, darker tone. Schubert’s failing health and a troubled love affair are often thought to be the causes behind his artistic shift.
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 has recorded extensively for the Marquis Classics label, Azica Records, and Orchid Classics.
For more information, visit www.jupiterquartet.com.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: The Jupiter Quartet, described by The New Yorker as having “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity,” performs a free concert at Vassar College. The award-winning ensemble’s program features music shaped by deep expressions of love and admiration from across cultures and time periods, featuring the works of Clarice Assad, Alban Berg, Juri Seo, and Franz Schubert. This performance is free and open to the public.
Concert details:
Who: Jupiter String Quartet
Presented by Vassar College
What: Music by Clarice Assad, Alban Berg, Juri Seo, and Franz Schubert
When: Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3pm
Where: Vassar College, Skinner Hall of Music, 100 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Tickets and information: https://www.vassar.edu/news/events/jupiter-string-quartet