Jupiter Chamber Players – March 29, 2017

Jupiter Chamber Players

Victor Romasevich & Michael Jones, violins; Stephen Levintow, viola; Paul Rhodes, cello

with special guests Sergey Rakitchenkov; Olga Ortenberg-Rakitchenkov, harp

Evgeny Golubev Quintet for Harp and String Quartet in C minor, Op. 39
Anton Bruckner Quintet for 2 violins, 2 violas, and cello in F major

In 1997, two veteran freelancers, violinist Michael Jones and Juilliard-trained violist Steve Levintow, recruited BBC Orchestra violinist Andrew Davies and ‘cellist Paul Hale of the Oakland Symphony to found the Jupiter Quartet which later became the Jupiter Chamber Players. The quartet had the good fortune to connect with Marvin Sanders, director of Live Oak Concerts at the Berkeley Art Center, just as the Center’s previous ensemble-in-residence, the Cypress Quartet, left to launch their international career. The Art Center remained the Quartet’s “home” venue for 10 years. Paul Rhodes replaced Hale in 2000, bringing his years of experience in numerous orchestras and as soloist with the Carmel Bach Festival. Two years later, Davies left to pursue other projects, and San Francisco Symphony member Victor Romasevich took over as first violinist. Romasevich brought deep fascination with Russian chamber music, including masterworks by such composers as Sergei Taneyev, Georgy Catoire, and Iosif Andriasov (with whom Romasevich studied violin and viola)—all links in a tradition going back to Tchaikovsky through Moscow Conservatory. The Jupiter Chamber Players take pleasure in introducing wider audiences to the work of these composers, while continuing to present more familiar Russian and European repertoire.