Bringing Live Chamber Music to Napa Valley Classrooms
In 2025, Music in the Vineyards assumed responsibility for Music for Students, a long-running educational program that was founded in 2003 by Chamber Music in Napa Valley (CMNV). For more than two decades, the program has introduced thousands of Napa County students to professional classical music ensembles. Its guiding belief is simple and enduring: students connect most deeply with music when they experience it live, up close, and in conversation with the artists themselves.
The program features a classroom-based model serving elementary, middle, and high school students throughout Napa Valley. During each visit, professional musicians present a curated performance, discuss their instruments and careers, and engage directly with students’ questions—encouraging curiosity, conversation, and meaningful listening. While often hosted by band and orchestra teachers, the program also engages classrooms in social studies, language arts, and other disciplines.
Music for Students is offered to schools completely free of charge, offering access to high-quality, live music experiences that would otherwise be unavailable to many students.
2025-2026 Program Dates
Classroom visits for the 2025–2026 school year will take place on the dates listed below. Visit schedules are coordinated directly with participating schools.
| Program Date | Professional Ensemble | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Jan-26 | Jupiter String Quartet | Taken |
| 16-Jan-26 | Jupiter String Quartet | Taken |
| 6-Feb-26 | Cuarteto Casals | Taken |
The Ensembles
Cuarteto Casals
Cuarteto Casals, a leading force in international chamber music, has established itself as one of the foremost string quartets after nearly three decades of its journey. Founded in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid, Cuarteto Casals has become a regular guest at many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Berlin Philharmonie, Cité de la Musique and Philharmonie de Paris, Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Their profound devotion to the heart of every work is reflected in a discography of around twenty albums for the Harmonia Mundi label, spanning works by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, the complete Beethoven quartets, as well as 20th-century masters such as Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, and Ligeti.
A prize from the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust in London enabled the group to assemble a unique collection of matching Baroque and Classical bows, used in repertoire from Bach to Beethoven, a reflection of their deep commitment to stylistic diversity. Their historically informed performances bring nuance across eras, while their artistry has also been profoundly shaped by long standing engagement with living composers. They have maintained a close relationship with György Kurtág and premiered quartets by leading Spanish composers, including a concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Francisco Coll with the Orquesta Nacional de España, alongside commissions from Mauricio Sotelo, Benet Casablancas, Dahoud Salim, Lucio Amanti, Elisenda Fábregas, Aureliano Cattaneo, and Matan Porat.
In the 2025/2026 season, they embark on a landmark project: performing the complete Shostakovich string quartets, presented both in recordings and in full live cycles worldwide. The season also features tours across North America as well as extensive performances across Europe, with concerts at renowned venues such as Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, Gulbenkian in Lisboa, Wigmore Hall in London, Konserthus in Stockholm, String Quartet Biennial Amsterdam, and Musikverein in Vienna.
In parallel with their concert activity, the quartet is deeply engaged in pedagogy, holding residencies at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, and the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. They have been honored with Spain’s National Music Award, Catalonia’s National Culture Award, and the City of Barcelona Prize. They have also had the rare honor of performing on the legendary Stradivarius instruments at the Royal Palace in Madrid, and in recognition of their artistic excellence and enduring legacy, they were awarded the Medal of Honor by Reina Sofía of Spain. Furthermore, they proudly serve as cultural ambassadors for the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Institut Ramon Llull.
For more information, visit cuartetocasals.com.
Jupiter String Quartet
The Jupiter String Quartet is a particularly intimate group, consisting of violinists Mélanie Clapiès and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel (Meg’s older sister), and cellist Daniel McDonough (Meg’s husband, Liz’s brother-in-law). Founded in 2001, the ensemble is firmly established as an important voice in the world of chamber music, and exudes an energy that is at once friendly, knowledgeable, and adventurous. The New Yorker states, “The Jupiter String Quartet, an ensemble of eloquent intensity, has matured into one of the mainstays of the American chamber-music scene.”
The quartet has performed in some of the world’s finest halls, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and Library of Congress, Austria’s Esterhazy Palace, and Seoul’s Sejong Chamber Hall. Their major music festival appearances include the Aspen Music Festival and School, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Rockport Music Festival, Taos School of Music Summer Festival, Music at Menlo, Tucson Winter Music Festival, the Seoul Spring Festival, and many others. In addition to their performing career, they have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012, where they maintain private studios and direct the chamber music program.
Their chamber music honors and awards include the grand prizes in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition; the Young Concert Artists International auditions in New York City; the Cleveland Quartet Award from Chamber Music America; an Avery Fisher Career Grant; and a grant from the Fromm Foundation. From 2007-2010, they were in residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Two.
The quartet’s latest album is a collaboration with the Jasper String Quartet (Marquis Classics, 2021), produced by Grammy-winner Judith Sherman. This collaborative album features the world premiere recording of Dan Visconti’s Eternal Breath, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat, Op. 20, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Last Round. The quartet’s discography also includes numerous recordings on labels including Azica Records and Deutsche Grammophon.
The quartet chose its name because Jupiter was the most prominent planet in the night sky at the time of its formation and the astrological symbol for Jupiter resembles the number four.
For more information, visit jupiterquartet.com.
Testimonials
As a choir teacher, I see every day how music gives our children a voice, a sense of belonging, and the confidence to be seen and heard. Exposing students to music at a young age opens their minds, nurtures creativity, and helps them discover parts of themselves they may not find anywhere else. When students sing and or play together, they learn discipline, empathy, and teamwork while creating something meaningful as a community. Keeping the arts in our schools is essential, not optional, because they provide equity, expression, and lifelong skills that shape well-rounded, compassionate human beings.
What a delight it was to have the Jupiter String Quartet perform and share their story and the stories behind each piece. With enthusiasm and thoughtfulness, each member engaged the students and responded to their questions. A seed has been planted in each student: a connection to the arts that they will carry with them through their lives.
Have questions about the Music for Students program? Send an email to info@musicinthevineyards.org.