Jupiter Quartet Presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Photo of the Jupiter Quartet by Todd Rosenberg available in high resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/jupiter-string
Jupiter Quartet Presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Performing the Music of Anton Arensky,
Nathan Shields, and Max Bruch
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:30pm
Barbro Osher Recital Hall | 50 Oak Street | San Francisco, CA
“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
San Francisco, CA – The Jupiter String Quartet –– internationally acclaimed winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Banff International String Quartet Competition, who are known for their “compelling” performances (BBC Music Magazine) –– will be presented in concert for Chamber Music Tuesday by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on Tuesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:30pm. The concert will feature performances of Anton Arensky’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Medusa by Nathan Shields, and Max Bruch’s String Octet in B-flat Major. This performance is part of a week-long residency by the Jupiter Quartet, wherein the ensemble will present several masterclasses and rehearsals for the students of SFCM.
Giving concerts all over the country, 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). Brought together by ties both familial and musical, the Jupiter Quartet has been performing together since 2001 and has been the quartet-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012. Exuding an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous, the Quartet celebrates every opportunity to bring their close-knit and lively style to audiences. Their connections to each other and the length of time they’ve shared the stage always shine through in their intuitive performances.
For this chamber concert, the Jupiter Quartet will perform a program that stokes intrigue, both through the boldness of the music and the sophistication of the arrangements. Several student musicians of SFCM will collaborate with the ensemble during the performance. (Additional musicians are subject to change).
The concert will include Anton Arensky’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor –– a piece which features the unusual combination of two cellos, one viola, and one violin –– resulting in a darker, richer timbre than the usual string quartet makeup. Arensky wrote the piece in homage to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who died a year prior to its composition, and as such features lovely melodic lines as well as flashy virtuosity. The Jupiter Quartet will perform this piece in collaboration with SFCM student cellist, Constantine Janello. Additionally, the Jupiter Quartet will perform Nathan Shields’ new quartet, Medusa –– a work composed for the ensemble for Shields’ Guggenheim Fellowship. The work uses the scintillating paintings of Caravaggio as an inspiration for exploring the effects of various types of political and social violence. Lastly, the program will feature Max Bruch’s beautifully lush String Octet in B-flat Major, for four violins, two violas, cello and double bass. SFCM students musicians –– violinists Shintaro Taneda, Mathea Goh; violist Isabel Tannenbaum; and bassist Christopher Yick –– will accompany the Jupiter Quartet. The composer’s final work, it was completed in 1920 –– the year of Bruch’s death. However, the piece would remain in obscurity for several decades, as it was not published until 1996.
Jupiter Quartet says of working in residency with SFCM and performing this program for the SFCM community:
“We are so pleased to be able to spend several days at SFCM, both teaching and collaborating with the students and faculty there. We are particularly excited to get to perform together with some of the SFCM students at our recital. Playing together in performance is one of our favorite ways to interact with students, as it is a dynamic and joyful way to exchange ideas.”
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, 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 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 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.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: The Jupiter Quartet, the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, who are described by The New Yorker as an ensemble of “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity,” is presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a performance at Barbro Osher Recital Hall (50 Oak Street). The Jupiter Quartet will perform a program sparked with intrigue, including Anton Arensky’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor and Nathan Shields’ Medusa, in addition to Max Bruch’s String Octet in B-flat Major.
Short description: The Jupiter Quartet, an ensemble of “technical finesse and rare expressive maturity” (The New Yorker), is presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a performance featuring the music of Anton Arensky, Nathan Shields, and Max Bruch.
Concert details:
Who: Jupiter Quartet and SFCM student musicians: violinists Shintaro Taneda, Mathea Goh; violist Isabel Tannenbaum; cellist, Constantine Janello; bassist Christopher Yick
Presented by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music
What: Music by Anton Arensky, Nathan Shields, and Max Bruch
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2024 at 7:30pm
Where: Barbro Osher Recital Hall, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets and information: www.sfcm.edu/experience/performances/chamber-music-tuesday-jupiter-string-quartet