Jasper String Quartet

J Freivogel and Karen Kim, violins
Andrew Gonzalez, viola
Rachel Henderson Freivogel, cello

Biography

Celebrated as one of the preeminent American string quartets of the twenty-first century, the prizewinning Jasper String Quartet is hailed as being “flawless in ensemble and intonation, expressively assured and beautifully balanced” (Gramophone). The Quartet is highly regarded for its “programming savvy” (ClevelandClassical.com) which strives to evocatively connect the music of underrepresented and living composers to the canonical repertoire through thoughtful programs that appeal to a wide variety of audiences.

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.

The Quartet regularly collaborates with some of today’s leading artists, including tenor Nicholas Phan, pianists Amy Yang and Myra Huang, and the Jupiter String Quartet. Collaborations and commissions with leading composers include Caroline Shaw, Vivian Fung, Reena Esmail, Derek Bermel, Patrick Castillo, Reinaldo Moya, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lera Auerbach, Joan Tower, and Akira Nishimura.

The Jasper String Quartet is passionate about connecting with audiences beyond the concert hall and has performed hundreds of outreach programs in schools and community centers across the US. The Quartet is the Professional Quartet-in-Residence at Temple University’s Center for Gifted Young Musicians and is also Director of the annual Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute. In addition, the Quartet is regularly invited to conduct short-term residencies at colleges and universities, and in partnership with presenters. Past residencies include those at Trinity University (San Antonio), Michigan State University, BYU Idaho, Swarthmore College, Oberlin Conservatory, Credo Music, Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, and the University of Iowa.

The Quartet is Artistic Director of Jasper Chamber Concerts, a series in Philadelphia dedicated to encouraging curiosity, community, and inclusivity through world-class chamber performances. With decades of experience in designing and presenting educational programs, the Quartet added its Community Connections program to the series in 2023, which brings performances to underserved schools and community centers throughout the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. Additionally, the Quartet continues its residency at Arlington High School in New York State, now in its fourteenth year. Generously supported by the Howland Chamber Music Circle, the Quartet performs and works with the school’s orchestras and chamber music ensembles twice yearly.

Formed at Oberlin Conservatory, the Jasper String Quartet launched their professional career in 2006 while studying with James Dunham, Norman Fischer, and Kenneth Goldsmith as Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at Rice University. In 2008, the Quartet continued its training with the Tokyo String Quartet as Yale University’s Graduate Quartet-in-Residence. That same year, the Quartet 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. They were the first ensemble honored with Yale School of Music’s Horatio Parker Memorial Prize, an award established in 1945, and selected by the faculty for “best fulfilling…lofty musical ideals.” In 2010, they joined the roster of Astral Artists after winning their national auditions.

The Jasper String Quartet is named after Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. For more information, please visit jasperquartet.com.

Videos

Back to Artists