Free Concert: RBCMS Presents the Lydian String Quartet

The Red Bank Chamber Music Society presents the Lydian String Quartet in a program that brings together three distinctive works for string quartet, spanning more than two centuries.  

The concert is free of charge, thanks to the generous donations of our membership and no tickets are required. 

The concerts is Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 4:30 PM
(Doors open at 4:00 PM)

Franz Schubert’s Quartettsatz (1820) opens the concert with a sense of lightness, speed, and intensity.   Though left unfinished, this single movement marks a turning point in Schubert’s writing for string quartet, revealing a new depth of expression and structural ambition.

At the center of the program is Juniper and Birch (2024) by Estonian-American composer Lembit Beecher, commissioned by the Lydian String Quartet. Structured in six movements, the work reflects on memory, family, and place, drawing on the composer’s childhood experiences in Estonia. Each movement offers a distinct perspective — from intimate personal recollections to broader reflections on history and identity — creating a work that is both deeply personal and widely resonant.

The program concludes with Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 36 (1945), a work written at the end of World War II. Its three movements balance clarity of form with emotional depth, culminating in a large-scale chaconne that builds through a series of variations to a powerful and searching conclusion.

ABOUT THE LYDIAN STRING QUARTET

Since its founding in 1980, the Lydian String Quartet (Clara Lyon and Julia Glenn, violins; Mark Berger, viola; Joshua Gordon, cello) has earned widespread acclaim for performances combining intellectual depth, technical brilliance, and adventurous programming. Prizewinners at international competitions including Evian, Portsmouth, and Banff, the quartet received the prestigious Naumburg Award for Chamber Music in 1984.

Praised by critics for performances of “precision and involvement marking them as among the world’s best quartets,” the ensemble has appeared at major venues including Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall, and has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The Lydians are Artists-in-Residence at Brandeis University and are widely recognized for championing new music, commissioning and recording numerous works that have expanded the contemporary string quartet repertoire..

ABOUT THE RED BANK CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY:
The Red Bank Chamber Music Society is a non-profit organization presenting world-class chamber music concerts for the benefit of the community. We offer performances of the highest professional caliber—at no cost to members—and encourage audiences of all ages, especially students and families, to experience the intimacy and inspiration of live chamber music. All programs are funded entirely by member donations.

For membership information or to donate, please visitwww.rbcms.org