FREE CONCERT The Red Bank Chamber Music Society presents Ulysses Quartet

An all-Mendelssohn afternoon brings two remarkable musical voices to Red Bank: Felix Mendelssohn and his older sister, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. The Ulysses Quartet presents their music in a free Red Bank Chamber Music Society concert on Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 4:30 PM at Trinity Episcopal Church, 50 White Street, Red Bank.

The program gives listeners the chance to hear the siblings side by side. Felix’s early and final quartets reveal the breadth of his emotional world, while Fanny’s only string quartet and two shorter works introduce a composer whose lyrical gifts and adventurous imagination deserve attention in their own right.

Felix’s String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 12, opens the afternoon with the expressive range of a young composer already sure of his craft. Written in 1829, it moves between flowing melody, delicate wit and dramatic intensity, drawing earlier musical ideas together before a gentle close.

Fanny’s String Quartet in E-flat major, composed in 1834, offers a more freely unfolding response to the same ensemble. Reflective passages give way to harmonic daring and exuberant energy. Unpublished until 1988, the work lets today’s audiences discover a substantial part of her musical achievement.

After intermission, Fanny’s Selected Songs, arranged for string quartet, bring her gift for melody into intimate focus. Ulysses violinist Rhiannon Banerdt arranged Schwanenlied, Op. 1 No. 1; violist Julian Seney arranged the first of 4 Songs for Piano, Op. 2. Their versions give four string players music originally written for voice and piano or piano alone.

Felix’s String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80, closes the concert with a striking change of mood. Written in 1847, the final year of his life, this turbulent, deeply impassioned work brings grief and restless urgency to the fore, with moments of lyrical reflection offering only brief respite.

Heard together, these works broaden the familiar Mendelssohn name: an afternoon of songful intimacy and powerful chamber music, with both siblings fully represented.

ABOUT ULYSSES QUARTET

Founded in 2015, the Ulysses Quartet won the grand prize and gold medal in the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. From 2023 to 2025, it was GBH Music’s first-ever quartet in residence, performing in schools, shelters and public spaces and recording extensively.

Performers: Christina Bouey, violin; Rhiannon Banerdt, violin; Julian Seney, viola; Grace Ho, cello.

ABOUT THE RED BANK CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY

The Red Bank Chamber Music Society is a nonprofit organization presenting world-class chamber music concerts for the community. Concerts are offered free of charge and supported entirely by member donations.

Admission is free. No tickets required.