Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players Performs its 21st Season

The Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players is currently in its 21st season of live chamber music. The 2022-23 season of the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players began in the fall and includes 20 concerts, held twice each on Mondays at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Artistic director Michael Volpert created the shows, which Jupiter performs at the historic Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church at 152 W 66th St, and designed them to pay homage to the eccentric musical styles of Jens Nygaard. 

The whole schedule of performances for the 2022-23 season is available on the Jupiter Symphony website. The next concert, entitled Women Pioneers, is on February 20 and serves as a celebration of 19th and early 20th-century works written by notable female composers. Pieces will include works by Eflrida Andrée, a feminist and the first woman composer and conductor, as well as Louise Farrenc and Dora Pejačević.    

This season, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players received a $25,000 grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. It has been using this grant to continue its dedication to performing symphonic masterpieces of all genres in the Lincoln Square community. 

Operating as manager of the orchestra, Mei Ying has managed to keep performances going for 21 seasons, even continuing to show live performances through the COVID-19 pandemic. Ying established the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players as “A Living Tribute to Jens Nygaard, conductor extraordinaire of the orchestra, Jupiter Symphony.” Ying paid homage to the Jupiter Symphony when she founded the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players in 2002. She was Nygaard’s life partner and created the Chamber Players to keep Nygaard’s legacy alive after he died in 2001. 

Nygaard, a self-taught Arkansas-born musician, had an unbridled passion for all things music. He moved to New York City to pursue a music education at The Juilliard School but had a disagreement with the administration there when he tried to transfer from piano to the conducting department. He was expelled from the program and began organizing his own concerts outside of the school instead.

Nygaard carried his enthusiasm for music with him for the rest of his life. He spent a decade and a half developing his skills and directing acclaimed programs as a guest conductor at chamber music venues around New York. In 1979, Nygaard leveraged strong reviews of his work to acquire a $35,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. With this grant and the help of some friends and fellow musicians, Nygaard founded the Jupiter Symphony, named after Mozart’s Symphony No 41, titled “Jupiter.” The orchestra’s logo featured a photo of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Telescope, which Nygaard received permission to use from NASA. That same photo is the logo for the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players.

The Lincoln Square BID has worked with Ying and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players for many years to promote their excellent programming. Buy your tickets today by calling 212-799-1259 or emailing admin@jupitersymphony.com.

Photo Credit: Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players