Jupiter String Quartet Joins Bowdoin International Music Festival for Two Free Livestream Concerts

The Jupiter String Quartet returns to the Bowdoin International Music Festival as a faculty ensemble, performing concerts on July 19 and August 2 in Studzinski Recital Hall. The Bowdoin International Music Festival is set to return to Brunswick this summer, gathering world-renowned musicians and students for an intensive schedule of chamber music study and performance.

Only Festival students will be permitted inside the recital hall for live concerts, due to campus COVID policies. However, concerts will be livestreamed online from Studzinski Hall, free to community members and viewers around the world. Individuals are encouraged to RSVP in advance at www.bowdoinfestival.org/rsvp, and will receive day-of concert reminder emails with direct viewing links.

On Monday, July 19, 2021 at 7:30pm the Jupiter Quartet joins forces with two members of the Ying Quartet. They will perform Alexander Zemlinsky's String Quintet in D Minor with violist Phillip Ying and Franz Schubert's String Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956 with cellist David Ying.

On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 7:30pm, the Jupiter Quartet presents a recently premiered work written for them by Stephen Andrew Taylor, Chaconne/Labyrinth, along with selections from Florence Price's Five Folksongs in Counterpoint and Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80.

Of his new work, Chaconne/Labyrinth, Taylor explains, "'Chaconne' is an old-fashioned word for a repeating chord progression, like the 12-bar blues. Here the wonderful Jupiter Quartet plays a chaconne, but at the same time they are lost in a labyrinth. The chords keep returning, only to point in new directions. This is how I've felt the past year: stuck in a loop, but at the same time lost in a maze, desperately seeking the way out. At the center of this maze, like the Minotaur of Greek myth, lies a depiction of the coronavirus that has so profoundly changed our world. After this encounter-marked by strange, percussive sounds-the quartet traces their way, like following Ariadne's thread, back through the labyrinth." Chaconne/Labyrinth was commissioned by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music.

About the Jupiter String Quartet: The Jupiter 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 19th year together, this tight-knit ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music. The New Yorker writes, "The Jupiter String Quartet, an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene."

The Jupiter 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 Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, the Banff Centre, Virginia Arts Festival, Music at Menlo, Maverick Concerts, Caramoor International Music Festival, Lanaudiere Festival, West Cork (Ireland) Chamber Music Festival, Skaneateles Festival, Madeline Island Music Festival, Yellow Barn Festival, Encore Chamber Music Festival, the inaugural Chamber Music Athens, and the Seoul Spring Festival, among 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.

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 particular connection to the core string quartet repertoire; they have presented the complete Bartok and Beethoven string quartets on numerous occasions. Also strongly committed to new music, they have commissioned works by Syd Hodkinson, Hannah Lash, Dan Visconti, Mark Adamo, Pierre Jalbert, and Kati Agócs.

The quartet's latest album a collaborative recording with the Jasper String Quartet, was released in February 2021 on Marquis Classics. It features the world premiere of Dan Visconti's Eternal Breath along with Osvaldo Golijov's Last Round and Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat, Op. 20. Their recent album, Metamorphosis (Marquis Classics, 2020), includes Beethoven's Quartet Op. 131 and Ligeti's Quartet No. 1 "Métamorphoses nocturnes." Other recordings on Marquis include Alchemy with Australian pianist Bernadette Harvey (2019), Shostakovich & Britten (2007), and Mendelssohn & Beethoven (2009). The quartet's discography also includes releases on Azica Records and Deutsche Grammophon.

The Jupiters place a strong emphasis on developing relationships with future classical music audiences through educational performances in schools and other community centers. They believe that, because of the intensity of its interplay and communication, chamber music is one of the most effective ways of spreading an enthusiasm for "classical" music to new audiences. The quartet has also held numerous masterclasses for young musicians at Northwestern University, Eastman School of Music, the Aspen Music Festival, Encore Chamber Festival, Madeline Island Music Festival, and Peabody Conservatory.

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. They are also proud to list among their accomplishments in recent years the addition of seven quartet children: Pablo, Lillian, Clara, Dominic, Felix, Oliver, and Joelle. You may spot some of these miniature Jupiters in the audience or tagging along to rehearsals, along with their grandparent babysitters. For more information, visit www.jupiterquartet.com.

The Bowdoin International Music Festival is one of the world's premier music institutes. Founded in 1964, the Festival engages exceptional students and enthusiastic audiences through world-class education and performances. After a highly competitive admissions process, 250 students are invited to attend the Festival and study with distinguished faculty and guest artists. Audiences are invited to memorable performances by these artists and 175 other free events such as student performances, composer lectures, masterclasses, studio classes, community concerts, and family events. For more information and to livestream events, visit www.bowdoinfestival.org.

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