Adoration — Florence Price
Composed in 1951, Adoration is among the best-loved short works by Florence Price, the pioneering American composer whose music blends Romantic lyricism with African American musical traditions. Originally written for organ and later arranged for other instruments, the piece unfolds as a gentle, hymn-like meditation marked by warmth, serenity, and expressive simplicity.
Price’s rich harmonic language and flowing melodic lines create an atmosphere of quiet devotion, while subtle echoes of spirituals and church music reflect the musical world that shaped her voice. Though modest in scale, Adoration reveals Price’s gift for deeply expressive writing and her ability to convey profound feeling with elegance and restraint.
String Quartet No. 2 in C, Op. 50 — Joseph Haydn
Born to a wheelwright in a small Austrian village, Joseph Haydn possessed a cunning musical spirit that quickly led him to the role of musical director for the esteemed Esterházy family. By 1787, Haydn was a master of both his craft and the socio-political system of the era. After receiving a letter of praise and a ring from King Frederick William II of Prussia, an amateur cellist, Haydn dedicated his Opus 50 quartets to him, weaving in several “cello-happy” flourishes as a thank-you. These works represent a mature Haydn, fascinated by both human psychology and the witty humor of musical conversation.
The Opus 50 No. 2 is a delightful example of Haydn’s playful mind. The first movement begins self-consciously, evoking an individual comically walking in circles, before ending with a light flourish that suggests we take ourselves less seriously. The second movement responds with a wistful, improvisatory daydream that eventually drifts into a quiet stupor. After the third movement’s cheerful leaps and characteristic winks, the finale carries the listener through a flurry of excitement. To close, the cello gets the last word with a final flourish — a charming, sly nod to the King.
String Quartet No. 1 in A, Op. 41 — Robert Schumann
In early 1842, Robert and Clara Schumann — profoundly connected as lovers, soulmates, and collaborators — embarked on a grueling concert tour. Robert returned home early, exhausted and depressed. To find his footing again, he turned to the study of quartets by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.
This period sparked Schumann’s “chamber music year,” a burst of creativity that produced three string quartets, a piano quintet, a piano quartet, and his Phantasiestücke for piano trio. He premiered the three string quartets as a twenty-third birthday gift for Clara. The First Quartet opens with a melodramatic, contrapuntal lament that intensifies into operatic yearning. Following a mischievous scherzo and a lyrical “love letter” in the slow movement, the work concludes with a triumphant, celebratory Presto.
String Quartet No. 13 in B♭, Op. 130 — Ludwig van Beethoven
By the time Ludwig van Beethoven composed his Opus 130 in 1826, he was profoundly deaf, able to experience music only through his internal imagination and the vibrations of his piano. Having endured political upheaval and personal isolation, Beethoven used this quartet to explore the complexity of the human experience: how joy and heartbreak can coexist in a single moment.
The work is unusual among quartets in that it has six, rather than the usual four, movements. It opens with a four-part hymn that is suddenly interrupted by a heroic, symphonic Allegro. A scurrying, “devilish” Presto follows, leading into a third movement where a charming dance is punctuated by brief moments of torment. The fourth movement, in sonata form, is a triple-meter German dance with a rustic character. The fifth movement, the Cavatina, is the work’s emotional core — a song of such vulnerability that it was included on the 1977 Voyager “Golden Records” as a representation of human love and loss.
The current Finale was the last music Beethoven ever wrote. Originally, the quartet ended with the massive, experimental Grosse Fuge, but after a bewildered audience rejected it, Beethoven’s publisher requested a replacement. Beethoven surprisingly obliged, writing this sprightly finale to provide a spirited response to the deep existentialism of the Cavatina.
Meet the Artists
Jeanel Liang
Canadian violinist Jeanel Liang has appeared on stages across North America and Europe. She is a recent graduate of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she studied under the tutelage of Violaine Melancon and Axel Strauss. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Victoria Symphony, and the McGill Baroque Orchestra. She has been a finalist at the Prix d'Europe and the Canadian Music Competition, and a semifinalist at the Golden Violin Award. Jeanel has been a fellow at various music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, IMS Prussia Cove, MISQA, Mozarteum Summer Academy, Aspen Music Festival and School, Domaine Forget, and QuartetFest West. Jeanel plays on a 1700 Carlo Tononi of Bologna violin and a Hermann Luger bow, generously loaned by Canimex, Inc.
Jérôme Chiasson
Originally from Quebec City, violinist Jérôme Chiasson has performed across North America and Europe and has been awarded several prizes and distinctions, most notably at the Prix d’Europe, the Golden Violin Award, the Canadian Music Competition Stepping Stone, and the Festival-Concours de Musique in Sorel-Tracy and Sherbrooke. Jérôme has attended renowned music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, IMS Prussia Cove, Mozarteum Sommerakademie, and MISQA. He has had the opportunity to work with esteemed violinists such as Midori, Gerhard Schulz, Zakhar Bron, Pierre Amoyal, Pavel Vernikov, Cho Liang Lin, Kerson Leong, Paul Kantor, and Vadim Gluzman. Jérôme holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Graduate Diploma in Violin Performance from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where he studied under the tutelage of Violaine Melançon. Jérôme plays on an 1858 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin with a François Nicolas Voirin bow, graciously loaned by Canimex, Inc.
Celia Morin
Celia Morin recently completed an Artist Diploma in Viola Performance at McGill University under the tutelage of André Roy, where she previously earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Jinjoo Cho. Displaying a natural musical intuition from an early age, Celia showcased her talents as a soloist with the Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra and embarked on a Canadian chamber music tour at the age of 14. Subsequently, she has enriched her musical journey by participating in summer festivals including the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, ENCORE Summer Academy, Orford Music Academy, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Celia finds inspiration in chamber music projects that foster sustainability and community building through local performances and is working with her quartet to realize such projects in the future.
Maya Enstad
Hailing from Bellingham, Washington, cellist Maya Enstad is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Schulich School of Music, where she studied with Amir Eldan and Elizabeth Dolin. Maya has appeared as a soloist at the Bellingham Festival of Music’s “Welcome Home” concert series, as well as with the BayShore Symphony. She has held fellowship positions at the Marrowstone Music Festival and at Bamfield’s Music by the Sea. An avid teacher, Maya has taught privately for eight years as well as at La Asociación Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City, Panama. Maya plays on an 1898 Carl Zach cello, generously on loan to her from the Carlsen Cello Foundation.
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