Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players

“This was music-making of a very high order”
“at the Jupiter concerts, there is always so much about which to be enthusiastic.”
“the rarities glittered like jewels”

Fred Kirshnit, The New York Sun
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Monday, May 17 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Roots
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating

Maxim Lando piano
Winner of the 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Award, winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists Auditions, Gold Medal at the 2017 Berliner International Competition, Gold Medal at the 2015 International Television Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow, 2nd prize at the Kissinger Klavier Olymp in Germany, winner of the 2014 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition ~ “He has an ever so clear approach to the keyboard, and the molding and shaping of phrases straight from the musical angels.” Berkshire Fine Arts ~ “Lando boasts technical skill” Anthony Tommasini ~ The New York Times ~ “He was simply brilliant” Cleveland Classical

William Hagen violin
Third prize winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition (the highest ranking American since 1980) ~ a “brilliant virtuoso…a standout” The Dallas Morning News ~ “an intellectual command of line and score, and just the right amount of power” Violinist.com ~ “plays with an obvious and sincere love for the very act of music making” North Texas Performing Arts News

Geneva Lewis violin
Recipient of the 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant Grand Prize, 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and Bronze Medal at the Fischoff competition as a member of the Callisto Trio

Cong Wu viola
Assistant Principal Violist of the New York Philharmonc, won 3rd Prize in the 14th Primrose Viola Competition and a Special Prize in the 12th Lionel Tertis Competition

Christine Lamprea cello
First Prize winner of the Sphinx and Schadt competitions, winner of the 2013 Astral Artists’ Auditions and recipient of an award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts ~ praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer for her “supreme panache and charmingly effortless phrasing”

Sooyun Kim flute/piccolo
Winner of the Georg Solti Foundation Career Grant and a top prize at the ARD flute competition, she has been praised for her “vivid tone colors” by the Oregonian and as a “rare virtuoso of the flute” by Libération

Henry Thacker “Harry” BURLEIGH  4 Southland Sketches
  ~ delightful miniatures for violin and piano

Described by Richard Rodda as not only “the finest kind of salon pieces, characterized by folk- and spiritual-inspired melodies, catchy rhythms, and appealing harmonies, but they also signify a seldom-remarked aspect of Burleigh’s legacy to American music—they were among the first works by an African American composer available to an international audience.”

Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, young Burleigh (1866–1949) sang in churches and synagogues without early training. His maternal grandfather, a partially blind former slave who worked as a town crier and lamplighter, exerted a strong influence on the boy by singing plantation songs to him. In 1892 Burleigh studied at the National Conservatory in New York where its director, Dvořák, befriended him. He sang Negro spirituals for Dvořák on many occasions, which inspired the Czech composer to write his now celebrated American works. Dvořák believed that “inspiration for truly national music might be derived from the Negro melodies or Indian chants.... The most potent as well as the most beautiful among them, according to my estimation, are certain of the so-called plantation melodies and slave songs, all of which are distinguished by unusual and subtle harmonies.” Before composing in earnest Burleigh sang many concerts as a baritone soloist, including at New York’s Temple Emanu-El. In 1911 he also became a music editor at Ricordi. As stated by the New Grove Dictionary, “His unique achievement was his pioneering role in writing artistic arrangements of Negro spirituals for solo performance on the concert state. His publication Jubilee Songs of the U.S.A....which includes the well-known Deep River, was a landmark.”

See also afrovoices.com/harry-thacker-burleigh-biography/

William Grant STILL  Folk Suite No. 1
  ~ by the “Dean of African American Composers” ~ for flute/piccolo, string quartet, and piano

Still (1895–1978) was the first Black American to have a symphony played by a leading orchestra, the first to conduct a major orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by an important company, and among the first to write for radio, film, and television. Born in Woodville, Mississippi, his father was the town bandmaster. After his death the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he began studying the violin, and where he and Florence Price were classmates in elementary school. He enrolled at Wilberforce College intending to study medicine but left without graduating as he turned to music instead and was influenced by Coleridge-Taylor. He worked with various music groups, including W. C. Handy’s band in 1916. He then went to Oberlin Conservatory, where his teachers encouraged him to compose, but WWI interrupted his studies. After his service in the navy, he returned to Oberlin, then worked for Handy’s publishing company in New York, played the oboe in theater orchestras, studied on a scholarship with Edgard Varèse, and began to write large-scale works in the early 1920s. In 1923 George Chadwick urged him to write American music; one result was his Afro-American Symphony, which the Rochester Philharmonic performed in 1931. “Still became best known for his nationalist works, employing negro and other American folk idioms. After a period of avant-garde experiment he turned in a neoromantic direction, with graceful melodies supported by conventional harmonies, rhythms and timbres; his music has a freshness and individuality that have brought enthusiastic response [New Grove Dictionary].”

Florence PRICE  Five Folk Songs in Counterpoint
  ~ an ingenious, accomplished suite for string quartet based on ”Cavalry”—”Clementine”— ”Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes”—”Shortnin’ Bread”—”Swing Low Sweet Chariot”

Price (1887–1953) was the first Black woman to have her work performed by major American orchestras. She was born into a middle class family in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was first taught music by her mother when white instructors refused to do so. Since women of color in the South were denied advanced training, after she completed high school in 1903 at age 16, her mother enrolled her at the New England Conservatory, where she studied the organ, piano pedagogy, and other music disciplines (her composition teacher was the director George Chadwick). Having earned 2 artist diplomas, Price began her career as an instructor at segregated schools in Arkansas, then as head of the music department at Clark University in Atlanta until 1912. Returning to Little Rock, she managed a private piano studio, composed pedagogical music for children, married, and raised 2 daughters until 1927, when a brutal lynching and financial difficulties spurred the family’s move to Chicago. This move resulted in a burst of creativity, competition wins, and widespread recognition for her work beginning in the 1930s. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her Symphony in E minor in 1933, and collaborations with Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price followed. The music publisher Barbara Garvey Jackson has said that Price’s “methods are actually quite close to Dvořák’s in the way she approaches the use of ethnic materials (both of the Old and the New Worlds).”

See also afrovoices.com/florence-price-biography/

Antonín DVOŘÁK  Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major Op. 81
  ~ a pinnacle of the chamber music repertory and a tour de force of sunny disposition, by “The Idol of Prague”

The Quintet was written in just seven weeks at Dvořák’s country house on the edge of a forest park at Vysoká, a favorite place. The work of a fully mature composer, it is one of his most characteristic and idiomatic in its fusion of Czech nationalism and Austro-German traditions. Alex Robertson, a British scholar, viewed it as “simply one of the most perfect chamber music works in existence...the melodies are of the greatest beauty and freshness, and a joyous springtime happiness flows through the music.” The Quintet was dedicated to his admiring friend Dr. Bohdan Neureutter, a physician and generous patron of music. It premiered in Prague on 6 January 1888.

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ By Reservation Only
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​​

By now you know the danger of gathering indoors with people outside your bubble. If you come, it’s at your own risk. If you are in the least bit fearful of CoVid-19, please do not come. We can, however, offer:

♦ Required wearing of masks
♦ Limited seating spaced 6 feet apart
♦ Hand sanitizers
♦ Doors to open 20 minutes before the concert
♦ A short pause in place of an intermission
♦ No refreshments
♦ Request 6 feet distancing when entering and exiting
♦ Suggest minimal, quiet talking
♦ Windows and/or doors will be open

Please use the restrooms before or after the concert.
Thank you for accommodating the new format at this time.

In addition to the above guidelines, New York State Covid-19 Travel Advisory requires visitors from certain states to quarantine for 14 days. If you are traveling to NYC from any of these states, visitors are required to complete the online Travel Health Form.

Jupiter Live ~ Summer 2021
May 24 ♦ June 7 ♦ June 21
2 PM & 7:30 PM

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ By Reservation Only
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​​

Monday, May 24 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Summer 2021 ~ Catch that “Trout”
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating

Drew Petersen piano
Recipient of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and 2017 American Pianists Awards, 2015 Leeds (4th prize), Kosciuszko-Chopin competitions, Jan Gorbaty Award, and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis ~ “Thrilling piano playing wedded to astute quite astonishing musicianship.” East Hampton Star

Julian Rhee violin
Won First Prize at the 2018 Johansen Competition, Second Prize at the 2018 Irving Klein competition, 2018 Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Gold Medals at the Fischoff and M-Prize competitions, and First Prize at the 2018 Barnett and 2018 Rembrandt chamber music competitions (playing both violin & viola)

Claire Bourg violin
Winner of New England Conservatory’s Concerto competition

Natalie Loughran viola
A member of the Kila Quartet—a part of the Honors Program at Juilliard—and has performed extensively with the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland

Thomas Mesa cello
Winner of the 2017 Astral Artists Auditions, the 2016 Sphinx Competition, 2013 Thaviu Competition, and the 2006 Alhambra Orchestra Concerto Competition

Ha Young Jung double bass
Gold Medalist in the 2017 Berliner competition, multiple prizewinner at the 2016 Irving Klein and 2016 Boulder Chamber Music competition, First Prizes at the 2013 Koussevitzky and 2007 International Double Bass competitions, Grand-Prix in the 2006 String Competition in Moscow ~ “Disarming prodigy who achieved the rare distinction of making her instrument seem worthy of solo status.” Daily Telegraph of London

Roni Gal-Ed oboe
First Prize winner of the Lauschmann Oboe Competition in Mannheim ~ “Outstanding” The New York Times ~ “Expressive, wonderful player” German SZ Magazine

Antonio SALIERI  Concertino da camera • 1777
   ~ a spirited and delightful court or chamber concerto-like piece for oboe and string quartet by Mozart’s rival

Salieri was the leading opera composer of his age, whose influence, from 1775, was felt in every aspect of Viennese musical life. Most published sources state that Salieri’s pen was silent in 1777, although the holograph copy of the Concertino is dated 1777 according to the New Grove Dictionary.

MOZART  Sonata in D Major K. 448 • 1781
   ~ arranged for 2 violins and piano by Ferdinand David from the original for 2 pianos ~ pure joy—graceful, lyrical, elegant, and virtuosic

Mozart’s only work for 2 pianos reveals the genius at his most galant. The first piano part was intended for Josepha Barbara Aurnhammer, a talented pianist, to play with her teacher, Mozart.f

SCHUBERT  “The Trout” Piano Quintet Op. 114 • 1819
   ~ probably the most famous of all piano quintets

The sublime piece was written at age 22 in less than a week for Sylvester Paumgartner, a rich Austrian patron and amateur cellist, who had asked Schubert for a quintet that would include a movement based on a favorite song, Die Forelle “The Trout”

Monday, June 7 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Summer 2021 ~ Hooked on Beethoven
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating

Maxim Lando piano
Winner of the 2020 Gilmore Young Artist Award, winner in the 2018 Young Concert Artists Auditions, Gold Medal at the 2017 Berliner International Competition, Gold Medal at the 2015 International Television Contest for Young Musicians in Moscow, 2nd prize at the Kissinger Klavier Olymp in Germany, winner of the 2014 Juilliard Pre-College Concerto Competition ~ “He has an ever so clear approach to the keyboard, and the molding and shaping of phrases straight from the musical angels.” Berkshire Fine Arts ~ “Lando boasts technical skill” Anthony Tommasini ~ The New York Times ~ “He was simply brilliant” Cleveland Classical

Abigel Kralik violin
Top prize winner of the Rising Stars (Berlin) Grand Prix and Vienna International Music Competition, first prize at the 2012 Talents for Europe competition in Slovakia, grand prize at the 2010 Koncz János competition ~ “a shooting star in the truest sense of the word” Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Kultur

Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Winner of Young Concert Artists Auditions (as a member of the Zorá String Quartet), he gave critically-acclaimed debut concerts in New York, Washington, DC, and Boston ~ the Quartet also won Grand Prizes at the Fischoff, Coleman, and Germany’s Encore competitions ~ his playing has been called “deeply lyrical” by the Boston Musical Intelligencer, and New York’s Oberon’s Grove wrote that his “singing, satiny tone constantly reached the heart.”

Maurycy Banaszek viola
Winner of numerous violin, viola & chamber music awards

Mihai Marica cello
Winner of the Irving Klein, Viña del Mar, Salon de Virtuosi and Dotzauer competitions ~ “We just witnessed a future superstar. Mihai is a brilliant cellist and interpreter of music. His playing is spellbinding.” Mitchell Sardou Klein

Gabriel Polinsky double bass
Winner of the 2019 Philadelphia Orchestra Allen Greenfield Competition, and fourth prize at the Irving Klein Competition

Gina Cuffari bassoon
Co-principal Bassoonist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, praised for her “sound that is by turns sensuous, lyric, and fast moving” Palm Beach Daily News

Anton REICHA  Variations for virtuoso Bassoon
   ~ by the Czech-born French “Father of the Wind Quintet” and Beethoven’s lifelong friend

Reicha was man of breadth and depth. Born in Prague, he lived in Bonn from 1785 to 1794 and in Hamburg from 1794 to 1799, when he moved to Paris, earning a living by teaching the piano, harmony, and composition. He met Haydn in the early 1790s and they became close friends, bonded by their common interest in canons and variations. Reicha was also a lifelong friend of Beethoven, and played the violin alongside Beethoven (who played the viola) in the court orchestra in Bonn. Both composers respected Reicha’s music.

Georges ONSLOW  String Quintet No. 28 in G minor Op. 72 • 1847
   ~ beautiful Romanticism by “The French Beethoven” Berlioz once remarked, “Since Beethoven’s death, he wields the scepter of instrumental music.”

After the premiere of his 10th string quintet, Op. 32, in 1826, Onslow provided alternate bass parts to all of his subsequent quintets in lieu of a second cello. At that watershed concert, the second cellist had failed to show up, and Onslow was asked if he would allow the foremost virtuoso bassist Domenico Dragonetti to step in as a substitute. At first, Onslow was reluctant and skeptical: “no..., no..., one hundred thousand times no!… I am sure, the bass will give a detestable effect.” Having no other option, however, he relented, then enthusiastically embraced the result. Onslow was so impressed after hearing a few measures played that he began to applaud. The rest is history.

BEETHOVEN  Piano Concerto No. 4 in D Major Op. 58 • 1805–1806
   ~ arranged for piano, string quartet & double bass by Vinzenz Lachner, the youngest brother of Franz Lachner, who was Schubert’s intimate friend in Vienna

In his Essays on Musical Analysis on Concertos, Sir Donald Francis Tovey wrote, “Beethoven himself took the pianoforte part in its first public performance (on December 22nd, 1808); and, we are told by eyewitnesses and critics, played very impulsively and at a tremendous pace. This seems at first startlingly out of character with the first movement, but the explanation of Beethoven’s ‘tremendous pace’ is simply that, the tempo being allegro moderato, the rapid passages are written in triplet semiquavers and demisemiquavers, and are thus nearly twice as fast as any that had been written before.”

Beethoven not only played and conducted the Concerto, he also conducted the premieres of his Fifth and Sixth symphonies, the concert aria Ah! perfido, movements from the Mass in C, and the Choral Fantasy!—all this on a frigid evening, when the audience sat in misery for 4 hours listening to an under-rehearsed marathon concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. The experience was not uplifting! During the rehearsals the orchestra refused to play if Beethoven was in the same room. Thus, he listened to what he could from the foyer of the hall and conveyed instructions to the concertmaster, who would in turn transmit them to the second-rate players. His increasing deafness also made his active participation in the performance difficult, which led to mishaps. It was Beethoven’s last appearance as a concerto soloist.

Monday, June 21 ♦ 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Summer 2021 ~ Trapped in Heaven on Earth
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway)
Limited Seating

details coming soon...

Tickets: $25, $17, $10 ~ By Reservation Only
If the sanctuary is too hot, the concert will take place in the Social Hall
(same level as the restrooms, with entrance via the iron gate)
Tickets will then be $25 and $20
Call (212) 799-1259 or email admin@jupitersymphony.com
Pay by check or cash (exact change)​​​

By now you know the danger of gathering indoors with people outside your bubble. If you come, it’s at your own risk. If you are in the least bit fearful of CoVid-19, please do not come. We can, however, offer:

♦ Required wearing of masks
♦ Limited seating spaced 6 feet apart
♦ Hand sanitizer from dispensers
♦ Doors to open 20 minutes before the concert
♦ A short pause in place of an intermission
♦ No refreshments
♦ Request 6 feet distancing when entering and exiting
♦ Suggest minimal, quiet talking
♦ Doors and windows open for ventilation
♦ HEPA air purifiers in operation

If possible, please use the restrooms before or after the concert.
Thank you for accommodating the new format at this time.

In addition to the above guidelines, New York State Covid-19 Travel Advisory requires visitors from certain states to quarantine for 14 days. If you are traveling to NYC from any of these states, visitors are required to complete the online Travel Health Form.

Dear Friends and Music Lovers,    During this coronavirus pandemic, our concerts this fall may be as rare as the music of the forgotten composers we often perform. While this horrid beast prevails we hope to lessen the risk of indoor gatherings. Also, please check the status of every concert on our website or by phone. If there is a cancellation, the program will be video recorded and made available for viewing on our website.    By now you know the danger of gathering indoors with people outside your bubble. If you come, it’s at your own risk. If you are in the least bit fearful, please do not come. We can, however, offer: ♦ Limited seating spaced 6 feet apart ♦ Hand sanitizer from dispensers ♦ Required wearing of masks by audience & staff ♦ Doors to open 20 minutes before concert starts ♦ Request 6 feet distancing when entering & exiting ♦ And suggest minimal, quiet talking    This season there are no subscriptions. Tickets are by reservation only. Please visit our ticket page for details. As these are indeed challenging times, please consider of gift of $100 or more and become a “Friend,” or please give as much as you can to help keep Jupiter alive and thriving. Your financial support is truly needed.    All gifts are tax deductible.    Thank you so much,

Caricature of Jens Nygaard on iPad by Elizabeth "Lizzi" Volpert, age 12

Why the name Jupiter: When Jens Nygaard named his orchestra Jupiter, he had the beautiful, gaseous planet in mind—unattainable but worth the effort, like reaching musical perfection. Many, indeed, were privileged and fortunate to hear his music making that was truly Out of This World. Our Players today seek to attain that stellar quality.

View Our Season Calendar

more details here...

View Our Printable Calendar (pdf)

Take a look at our guest artists for this season.
Find out more about the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.

Jupiter 2020 - 2021 Season
20 Mondays at 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

View Our NEW Season Calendar

To reserve Tickets ~ $25, $17, $10 
please call (212) 799-1259
or e-mail admin@jupitersymphony.com

Please visit our Media Page to hear Audio Recordings from the Jens Nygaard and Jupiter Symphony Archive

Concert Venue:
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
152 West 66 Street (west of Broadway), New York

“one of the most refined and intelligent church spaces in New York” ~ The New York Times Built in 1893 by Josiah Cleveland Cady, architect of the old Metropolitan Opera House and the American Museum of Natural History

Office Address:
JUPITER SYMPHONY
155 West 68th Street, Suite 319
New York, NY 10023
admin@jupitersymphony.com
(212) 799-1259

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Jupiter in the News

ConcertoNet
“knocked the socks off this listener...It was wondrous chamber music. And the three artists gave it the deserving excitement, volition and imagination.” 
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet   more...

“the performers were top notch”
“The homey church where these concerts take place, nestled on West 66th Street in the shadow of Lincoln Center, is an intimate and acoustically vibrant place for chamber music.”
Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times   more...

Strad Magazine
“A finely forthright, fluent and expressive account of Haydn's Divertimento in E-flat major opened this programme of miscellaneous chamber music in a series known for adventurous programming.”
Dennis Rooney, Strad Magazine   more...

ConcertoNet
“Mr. Nygaard’s cadenza flowed down Mozart lanes and paths, each with beautiful backgrounds. And at the very end, Mr. Nygaard brought forth that martial major theme, like an unexpected gift.” 
Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet   more...

“...the group’s efforts proved illuminating ...Brown played a lovely, subtly virtuosic cadenza for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 by Jens Nygaard, the ensemble’s founder, who died in 2001, but whose fascination with rarities continues to drive its programming”
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times   more...

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As promised, here are the videos of John Field’s Divertissement No. 1 and Sir Hamilton Harty’s Piano Quintet. Fortuitously, our Jupiter musicians had the good sense to record the rehearsal in an impromptu decision, literally minutes before pressing the record button. Pianist Mackenzie Melemed (replacing Roman Rabinovich at the last minute) learned the music in 2 days! Bravo to him.

Both works are Irish rarities that were scheduled for the March 16 performances which had to be canceled because of the coronavirus epidemic. Even though the entire program could not be recorded because of technical issues, we are pleased to be able to share with you the 2 musical gems. Enjoy.

John FIELD  Divertissement No. 1 H. 13
  ~ simply delicious piano quintet, alternately titled Rondeau Pastoral and better known in its version for solo piano, Twelve O’clock Rondo, on account of the 12 “chimes” at the end ~ by the creator of the Nocturne, which had a major influence on Chopin

We thank the University of Illinois (Champaign) for a copy of the Divertissement music.

Mackenzie Melemed piano
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sung viola
Christine Lamprea cello

Sir Hamilton HARTY  Piano Quintet in F Major Op. 12
  ~ in a lyrical Romantic idiom, with a distinct, breezy Irish-salted voice

Andrew Clements of the Guardian proclaimed the beautiful Quintet “a real discovery: a big, bold statement full of striking melodic ideas and intriguing harmonic shifts, which adds Brahms and Dvořák into Harty’s stylistic mix, together with Tchaikovsky in some passages.” There’s folk music charm as well, reminiscent of Percy Grainger—notably in the Scherzo (Vivace) with its folksy quirks and nonchalance, and the winding, pentatonic melody in the Lento.

Our gratitude to the Queen’s University Library in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a copy of the autograph manuscript of the music. Much thanks, too, to Connor Brown for speedily creating a printed score and parts from Harty’s manuscript.

Mackenzie Melemed piano
Abigel Kralik violin
Dechopol Kowintaweewat violin
Sarah Sun viola
Christine Lamprea cello

I Allegro 0:00
II Vivace 10:43
III Lento 14:44
IV Allegro con brio 23:59