The beautiful sounds of the Jasper String Quartet – who have been hailed as “sonically delightful and expressively compelling” – will fill Chestertown’s Emmanuel Church on the evening of Saturday, April 14. The concert, at 7:30 p.m., is the season finale of the National Music Festival’s Resonance concert series, which runs from October to April each year.
The Jasper String Quartet (J Freivogel, violin I; Sae Chonabayashi, violin II; Sam Quintal, viola; Rachel Henderson Freivogel, cello) served as mentors at the National Music Festival in 2014, and the NMF is thrilled to bring them back to Chestertown to present an exciting program of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn.
Formed at Oberlin Conservatory, the Jaspers began pursuing a professional career in 2006. In 2008, they swept through the competition circuit, winning the Grand Prize and the Audience Prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, the Grand Prize at the Coleman Competition, First Prize at Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and the Silver Medal at the 2008 and 2009 Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions. In 2010, they joined the roster of Astral Artists after winning national auditions.
The accolades continue to pile up: the New York Times named the Jasper’s latest album, Unbound, as one of the 25 Best Classical Recordings of 2017.
In addition to being sought-after performers, they are innovators in community engagement. In 2018, the Jasper received their second Picasso Project Grant from Public Citizens for Children and Youth. This grant supports the Jasper’s work with a South Philadelphia Public Elementary throughout the spring, culminating in a performance together.
Prior to the concert, at 5:30 p.m., please join the National Music Festival for a pre-concert reception to support the Festival’s apprentice scholarship program. The reception will be held in in Emmanuel Church’s Parish Hall. Attendees will enjoy wine, delicious savories and desserts, will have a chance to meet the Jasper Quartet, and will receive preferred seating at the concert.
Emmanuel Church is located at 101 N. Cross St. in Chestertown. Tickets for the concert are $20 and can be purchased online or at the door (children and students are $5); tickets for the pre-concert party are $50 and must be purchased in advance.For ticket information, visit www.nationalmusic.us (direct links to purchase tickets are located in the lower left corner of the page).
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