Our 2025–26 MainStage Live season concludes with a return of the remarkable Juilliard String Quartet, which opened our inaugural season 65 years ago.

Originally founded in 1946 and described by The Boston Globe as “the most important American quartet in history,” the ensemble engages deeply with the classics while embracing the mission of championing new works.

In a program spanning three centuries, including a new work written for the group in 2024, the Quartet will perform music of J.S. Bach, Franz Schubert’s final string quartet, and the Mizrahi-American composer Michelle Barzel Ross’s “Birds on the Moon.” Concluding our celebration of American chamber music will be Antonin Dvořák’s beloved “American” Quintet, written during the composer’s stay in Spillville, IA.

The Juilliard Quartet features Areta Zhulla on violin, Ronald Copes on violin, Molly Carr on viola, and Astrid Schween on cello.

BENJAMIN BRITTEN String Quartet No. 3 in G Major, Op. 94 (1975)

J.S. BACH (arr. M Ross) Prelude in E-flat Major, BWV 852

MICHELLE BARZEL ROSS Birds on the Moon (2024)

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, “American”