Internationally acclaimed violist Marcus Thompson will perform at MIT this year with three of the world's top string ensembles, beginning with the Jupiter String Quartet on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. The events mark the second of a two-year series of concerts at MIT commemorating the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth.
Thompson, the Robert R. Taylor Professor of Music at MIT, has appeared as a soloist, a recitalist, and in chamber music series throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East.
In June 2005 he made his debut as soloist with the Boston Pops for MIT's Tech Night at Pops. He launched the Mozart birthday celebration series in the 2005-06 season, performing Mozart quintets with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, the Endellion String Quartet and the Biava String Quartet.
"The Jupiter String Quartet's tone quality is pleasing, their equilibrium secure, and their intonation superb," according to The Boston Globe.
The quartet captured first prize in the eighth Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2004, as well as the Szekely Prize for the best performance of a Beethoven quartet. Other honors include the grand prize at the 2004 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, resulting in tours of the United States and Italy.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Thompson earned the doctorate degree at the Juilliard School. At MIT, he heads programs in chamber music and performance studies. He is also a member of the viola faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music and violist in the Boston Chamber Music Society.
The Jupiter Quartet will also perform Beethoven's Quartet Op. 18, no. 1, and Shostakovich's Quartet No. 3 during the Oct. 1 concert.
The Mozart birthday series will conclude with the Vogler Quartet on Nov. 3 and the Audubon String Quartet on Feb. 3.
For more information, call x3-2826.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 27, 2006 (download PDF).
