Jupiter String Quartet Welcomes Mélanie Clapiès as New Violinist

The Jupiter String Quartet has announced that violinist Mélanie Clapiès will join the ensemble this fall, succeeding founding member Nelson Lee. Clapiès will perform alongside violinist Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel, and cellist Daniel McDonough.

Founded in 2001, the Jupiter Quartet has been praised by The New Yorker as “an ensemble of eloquent intensity” and has become a mainstay of the American chamber music scene, performing in some of the world’s finest concert halls, from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to London’s Wigmore Hall and Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes.

Nelson Lee’s Departure

After 24 years with the ensemble, Nelson Lee will bid farewell at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on September 26, 2025, where the quartet has been in residence since 2012. Lee, who will relocate to Montréal to join the faculty at McGill University, reflected:

“It is with immense gratitude that I say goodbye to my friends in the Jupiter Quartet. I feel indebted to all of them for being the most generous and inspiring collaborators through this journey that we started together in 2001.”

The ensemble’s remaining members added:

“We want to thank Nelson from the bottom of our hearts for over twenty inspiring years as our close colleague and friend…We are also overjoyed to announce our new violinist, Mélanie Clapiès. She is a musician with a wide-ranging background in both Europe and the United States, a wonderful teacher, and an absolutely beautiful player, full of insight and creativity.”

About Mélanie Clapiès

French-born violinist Mélanie Clapiès is an international soloist, chamber musician, and dedicated educator. She has appeared at major festivals including Yellow Barn, Colmar, Deauville, la Roque d’Anthéron, and Portogruaro, and has collaborated extensively on projects spanning experimental and electronic music. Her album Pierrots Lunaires, recorded with cellist Yan Levionnois, highlights her passion for overlooked repertoire.

Clapiès studied at the Conservatoires Nationaux Supérieurs de Musique in Lyon and Paris before earning her M.M. and A.D. at Yale School of Music and completing a Doctorate at the Manhattan School of Music. She previously served on the violin faculty at Butler University and conservatories in Toulon, Bordeaux, and Paris. This fall, she will join the University of Illinois School of Music alongside her role with the Jupiter Quartet.

“A longtime dream is becoming reality in joining this quartet,” Clapiès said. “It’s a true privilege to explore the quartet repertoire with such inspired musicians.”

Upcoming Concerts

The Jupiter String Quartet will celebrate Nelson Lee’s final concert on Friday, September 26, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at the Krannert Center. The program includes Mozart’s Piano Quartet in G Minor, Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, and César Franck’s Piano Quintet with pianist Jon Nakamatsu.

The quartet’s Krannert Center series continues on March 12, 2026 and April 25, 2026.