The Jasper String Quartet is a professional string quartet based in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Currently the Ensemble in Residence at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

's Center for Gifted Young Musicians, the quartet was previously the Quartet in Residence at

Oberlin Conservatory The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a private music conservatory in Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1865 and is the second oldest conservatory and oldest continually operating conservatory in the United States. It is one of ...

(from 2010–2012). Formed in 2004 while its members were in school at Oberlin Conservatory, the quartet completed string quartet master's programs at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

(2006–2008) and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

(2008–2010). The group's primary mentors are James Dunham, Norman Fischer and the

Tokyo String Quartet The was an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo ...

. In 2010, they joined the roster of Astral Artists. The Jasper String Quartet received

Chamber Music America Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...

's prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award in 2012. In 2015, they commissioned and performed the premiere of

Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as Dir ...

' 3rd String Quartet "River". The piece was commissioned for the quartet by a consortium of presenters including the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts,

Chamber Music Northwest Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW) is an American non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon that is dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization's main presentation is its annual five-week Summer Festival, that occurs ...

, Chamber Music Monterey Bay, Carnegie Hall, Classic Chamber Concerts of

Naples, FL Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

and

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

. Funding was also provided by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund. The Jasper String Quartet records for the Sono Luminus Label.

Members

J Freivogel, violin Karen Kim, violin Andrew Gonzalez, viola Rachel Henderson Freivogel, cello

Awards and recognition

* 2017 – Record album "Unbound" named as one of the New York Times top 25 Classical Music Recordings of 2017 * 2014 – Chamber Music America's Classical Commissioning Grant Recipient * 2012 – Cleveland Quartet Award * 2012 – Chamber Music America's Residency Partnership Program Grant Recipient – in partnership with Astral Artists * 2010–2012 – String Quartet in Residence at Oberlin Conservatory * 2010 –

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a join ...

’s Horatio Parker Memorial Prize * 2009–2011 – Caramoor Center's Ernst Stiefel String Quartet in Residence * 2008 and 2009 – Silver Medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition * 2008 – Grand Prize and the Audience Prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition * 2008 – Grand Prize at the Coleman Competition * 2008 – First Prize at Chamber Music Yellow Springs

Recordings

* The Kernis Project: Beethoven – ''Beethoven Op. 59 No. 3, Kernis Quartet No. 2 "musica instrumentalis"'' (2011) * The Kernis Project: Schubert – ''Schubert D. 810 "Death and the Maiden", Kernis Quartet No. 1 "musica celestis"'' (2012) * Beethoven Op. 131 (2014, digital only release) * Unbound – "Valencia" by Caroline Shaw, "Death Valley Junction" by Missy Mazzoli, "The Blue Horse Walks on the Horizon" by Annie Gosfield, "Four on the Floor" by Judd Greenstein, "almost all the time" David Lang, "Pushpulling" by

Donnacha Dennehy Donnacha Dennehy (born 17 August 1970) is an Irish composer and leader of the Crash Ensemble specializing in contemporary classical music. According to musicologist Bob Gilmore, Dennehy's "high profile of his compositions internationally, togeth ...

, "Excerpts from the middle of something" by Ted Hearne

References

External links

Jasper String Quartet
– official site
Dispeker Artists

Astral Artists
{{authority control American string quartets