Jupiter String Quartet Makes Portland Chamber Music Festival Debut
Jupiter String Quartet Makes Portland Chamber Music Festival Debut
Performing Two Concerts with East Coast Chamber Orchestra
Thursday, August 11, 2022 at 7:30pm
Hannaford Hall at University of Southern Maine Abromson Community Education Center
88 Bedford St. | Portland, ME
Tickets and information: www.pcmf.org/2022-8-11
Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 7:30pm
Hannaford Hall at University of Southern Maine Abromson Community Education Center
88 Bedford St. | Portland, ME
Tickets and information:
www.pcmf.org/2022-8-13
“The Jupiter String Quartet, an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.”
– The New Yorker
www.jupiterquartet.com
Portland, ME – On Thursday, August 11, 2022 at 7:30pm and Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 7:30pm, the internationally acclaimed Jupiter String Quartet, winner of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Banff International String Quartet Competition, will be make its debut with the Portland Chamber Music Festival in two performances with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) at Hannaford Hall at University of Southern Maine Abromson Community Education Center (88 Bedford St.). ECCO will be Portland Chamber Music Festival’s first-ever ensemble-in-residence.
The performances will be live streamed for free via the Portland Chamber Music Festival’s YouTube channel and the archived streams will be accessible for 24 hours. Those opting to attend the concerts in-person are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and properly fitted masks must be worn by all patrons at all times.
Over the two concerts, Jupiter Quartet will be performing both on their own and as part of ECCO. A collaborative group of musicians from several different orchestras and performing ensembles, ECCO was founded in 2001.
The first concert on Thursday August 11 –– ECCO Dreams –– will feature music that traverses the early 19th century through to the present day. Jupiter Quartet will perform Michi Wiancko’s To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores (2020) –– a work written as a response to climate change, the piece was commissioned for the Jupiter Quartet by Bay Chamber Concerts in partnership with the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jupiter will then join ECCO for Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, "Death and the Maiden," (1824) arranged for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler. The program will also include Richard Strauss’s String Sextet, Op. 85 from Capriccio (1942), performed by violinists J Freivogel and Kobi Malkin; violists Melissa Reardon and Jessica Thompson; and cellists Kenneth Olsen and Raman Ramakrishnan; as well as Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 performed by violinist Susie Park and pianist Henry Kramer.
On Saturday August 13, Jupiter Quartet will perform in a second concert: ECCO Dances. The Quartet will perform Jessie Montgomery’s Banner for solo string quartet and string orchestra, alongside ECCO. Together as part of ECCO, the members of Jupiter Quartet will perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. The concert will also include Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667 "Trout," performed by violinist Tai Murray; violist Jessica Thompson; cellist Raman Ramakrishnan; bassist Nathan Farrington; and pianist Henry Kramer.
About Jupiter String Quartet: The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Now enjoying their 20th year together, this tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music.
The 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, Music at Menlo, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program.
nTheir 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 quartet's latest album is a collaboration with the Jasper String Quartet (Marquis Classics, 2021), produced by Grammy-winner Judith Sherman. This collaborative album features the world premiere recording of Dan Visconti’s Eternal Breath, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat, Op. 20, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round. The quartet’s discography also includes numerous recordings on labels including 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. For more information, visit www.jupiterquartet.com.
About East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO): The critically acclaimed East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) is a collective of dynamic like-minded artists who convene for select periods each year to explore musical works and perform concerts of the highest artistic quality. Drawing from some of the world's finest orchestras, chamber groups, and young soloists, ECCO strives for vitality and musical integrity; a self-governing organization, each member is equal and has a voice in every step of the artistic process, from programming to performance.ECCO believes that the best musical experience can speak to all audiences regardless of age or socioeconomic background and performs accordingly across a wide range of venues. ECCO is also firmly committed to sharing educational experiences with the communities it visits.
Through interactive children’s concerts, small group master classes, and one-on-one lessons, ECCO continually seeks out opportunities to connect with young people. Doing so creates a much more engaging concert experience, illustrating through living example the ways in which classical music can be accessible to the modern listener. Performance opportunities also allow the members of ECCO to share the musical knowledge gained during their individual and unique lifetimes of music. The same energy that is contagious in ECCO’s performances is presented and shared without the boundaries of the stage to those interested in learning.
About Portland Chamber Music Festival: The Portland Chamber Music Festival enhances the cultural life of southern Maine by bringing internationally recognized artists of the highest caliber to Portland to present a wide range of classical and contemporary chamber music, including education and engagement programs for community members of all ages.