JESSIE MONTGOMERY Break Away
BRITTANY J. GREEN Dreamwalker (arranged for JSQ 20th Anniversary)
ANDREA CASARRUBIOS Armadura
Samuel Cao, cello 2026 Christine Kim Young Artist Award Winner
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127

Innovation and creativity come to life in this program of maverick composers. The first half features works by the iconic Jessie Montgomery and a new arrangement by Brittany J. Green, who is described by The Washington Post as “a creative force of attention-seizing versatility.” Each of these composers finds their singular path in blurring the boundaries of musical styles ranging from hip-hop and bluegrass to twentieth-century modernism. Ludwig van Beethoven’s triumphant String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127, a breakaway work that was unprecedented in its expansion of the sonic world of string quartets, closes the program.

With Raman Ramakrishnan, cello

Maddalena Laura Sirmen String Quartet No. 5
Michelle Ross JSQ 20th commission
Franz Schubert Cello Quintet in C major D. 956

This program opens with works by two extraordinary violinist/composers, written centuries apart. Classical-era composer Maddalena Laura Sirmen and contemporary “formidable composer” (Textura) Michelle Ross bring longing and lyricism to their works in reflection of their own times. The program closes with Franz Schubert’s monumental String Quintet in C Major, a mystical exploration of the complexity of the human condition.

The JSQ residency runs 2/9-2/13 with a free recital 2/12.

Sirmen: Quartet No. 5
Moya: Yara (2025) Jasper String Quartet commission
Beethoven: String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127

JOSEPH HAYDN Quartet Op. 33 No. 3 ‘The Bird’
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
REINALDO MOYA Yara for String Quartet (2025) Jasper SQ 20th Anniversary Commission
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Jasper String Quartet and Jupiter String Quartet

JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D major, Op. 76 No. 5
PATRICK CASTILLO String Quartet No. 2, Libera me (2025) JSQ 20th Anniversary Commission
GEORGE WALKER Lyric from String Quartet No. 1
CLAUDE DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Four composers spanning four centuries explore the luminous possibilities of the string quartet. The heart of the program features George Walker’s famously stunning Lyric and a newly commissioned work by Patrick Castillo, whose music is lauded as “brimming with a variety of texture and sound that draw you into its world” (I Care If You Listen). Beloved works by Josef Haydn and Claude Debussy bookend this radiant program.

FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, No. 5
PATRICK CASTILLO String Quartet No. 2, Libera me Jasper String Quartet 20th Anniversary Commission
(AFCM Co-Commission)
GEORGE WALKER Lyric for Strings
CLAUDE DEBUSSY String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10

A recipient of Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award (2012), the Quartet’s playing has been described as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” (The Strad). The ensemble has released eight albums, including its most recent release, Insects and Machines: Quartets of Vivian Fung (2023), which Strings Magazine praised as being “intensely dramatic throughout demonstrating both their advocacy of new music and their transcendent mastery.” The Quartet’s 2017 release, Unbound, was named by The New York Times as one of the year’s 25 Best Classical Recordings.

BENJAMIN BRITTEN Three Divertimenti
GABRIELA LENA FRANK: An Andean Walkabout
STUBBLEFIELD Music, Op. 27 World Premiere/PCMS Commission
ERROLYN WALLEN All the Blues I See US Premiere

PCMS delights in highlighting the Jasper Quartet, one of today’s preeminent American string quartets which also happens to call Philadelphia home. Hailed as being “expressively assured and beautifully balanced” (Gramophone), the ensemble is joined for this concert by Julietta Curenton, a flutist known for her “bold and dramatically characterized playing” (Dallas Morning News) and a “tone that draws in one’s ear with sounds and ideas that simply cannot be resisted” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, “Erdödy”, No. 5, Hob.III:79
GABRIELA LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for String Quartet
CLAUDE DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, “Erdödy”, No. 5, Hob.III:79

GABRIELA LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for String Quartet

CLAUDE DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in D Major, Op. 76, “Erdödy”, No. 5, Hob.III:79

GABRIELA LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for String Quartet

CLAUDE DEBUSSY String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

GABRIELA LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout
REINALDO MOYA Yara (2025) JSQ 20th Anniversary commission
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 51

Sounds of one’s homeland have the power to evoke our deepest emotions and cultural legends. Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas, already a canonical favorite of our time, seamlessly blends elements of western classical and Andean folk music into a transportive and thrilling work. Venezuelan composer Reinaldo Moya brings his “beguiling, attractive soundscapes” (San Diego Tribune) to a new work commissioned by the Jasper String Quartet. The program closes with the lush String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 51, of Antonín Dvořák, whose passion for capturing the sound of homeland in music inspired generations to come.

Earplay presents a musical portrait of acclaimed San Francisco based composer Richard Festinger, featuring three major works that span three decades of his composing career, including his String Quartet No. 3; Smokin’ with Cocuswood, for oboe, string quartet and piano; and selections from Letters and the Weather of Six Mornings: Eight Songs on Poems of Jane Cooper, for soprano and piano.

Widely recognized for its elegance and emotive power, Festinger’s music is “…notable for its combination of propulsive energy with an impeccable sense of poise and balance”, writes Frank J. Oteri in the Tanglewood Bulletin.  And Josua Levine, in the Journal of the Society for American Music, describes Festinger’s work as “…vibrant, skillfully wrought…  intellectually and viscerally compelling music.” 

 The eminent New York soloists soprano Alice Teyssier, pianist Peggy Kampmeier, and oboist Noah Kay, join the renowned Jasper String Quartet in bringing these stunning works to life in sparkling and vivid performances.

Tickets Available here.

Piano Quintet No. 1 Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20 Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Jasper String Quartet
Joel Fuller

Tickets Available here.

Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Pisachi (Reveal) - Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (b.1968)
String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 51, B. 92, "Slavonic" - Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Jasper String Quartet
Joel Fuller

Tickets: Kids Free; Adults $5 at the door

MOONSTRIKE: JASPER QUARTET with JEROD IMPICHCHAACHAAHA’ TATE

Chickasaw musician Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate leads his own captivating tale, Moonstrike, interweaving three American Indian legends about the moon. This evocative story is set to original and traditional music performed by the Jasper String Quartet, including the Calusa Corn Dance, sung by Southeast American Indians during the harvest moon.

Tenor Nicholas Phan (“one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” Boston Globe) and the Jasper String Quartet explore the unique sound world of English music. Separated from the mainland by water, England developed its own folk, classical, and popular traditions; a sampling of each will be heard on this stirring program, including British music by Elgar, Vaughan-Williams, Britten, and Canadian composer Vivian Fung. 

Program: 

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH arr. RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT Selections from Six Country Dances

REBECCA CLARKE Three Irish Country Songs

ELGAR Salut d’Amour Op. 12 for Violin and Piano

VAUGHAN-WILLIAMS On Wenlock Edge

BRITTEN Three Divertimenti for String Quartet

VIVIAN FUNG “O” from Lamenting Earth

PAUL McCARTNEY “Blackbird”

Tickets Available here.

GABRIELA LENA FRANK Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout

JEROD IMPICHCHAACHAAHA’ TATE Pisachi (Reveal)

DVOŘÁK String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 51 (“Slavonic”)

Tickets Available here.

The Jasper String Quartet with Julietta Curenton, flute

Ludwig van Beethoven Serenade in D Major, Op. 25 for Flute, Violin and Viola
Zhou Tian Viaje
Antonín Dvořák Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51

Tickets Available here.

The Jasper String Quartet with Julietta Curenton, flute

Ludwig van Beethoven Serenade in D Major, Op. 25 for Flute, Violin and Viola
Zhou Tian Viaje
Antonín Dvořák Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 51

Tickets Available here.

The Jasper and Opal String Quartets team up for an exciting and eclectic performance at The Grey Eagle, Asheville’s longest-running all-ages venue in the historic River Arts District. Enjoy food and drink in a fun and casual atmosphere while taking in a vibrant evening of music. Co-presented with Asheville Chamber Music Series, this collaboration offers a memorable evening in the heart of Asheville’s cultural scene.

The Jasper String Quartet with Raman Ramakrishnan, cello

Grażyna Bacewicz: Suite for Two Violins
Gabriela Lena Frank: Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout for String Quartet
Franz Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, D. 956

Tickets available here.