JACK will begin its tenure this fall, giving concerts, coaching ensembles, leading master classes, and more, including the appointment of each individual member of JACK to the major lesson faculty at Mannes

Mannes will host JACK’s new Frontiers Festival, a multi-faceted festival of contemporary music for string quartet that will launch in the fall of 2019 and will feature newly-commissioned works by Clara Iannotta, Catherine Lamb, Tyshawn Sorey, and Lester St. Louis

For immediate release – As The New School celebrates its Centennial in 2019, the university’s world-renowned College of Performing Arts, including Mannes School of Music, School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and School of Drama, is investing in the future of new and experimental music with the appointment of the JACK Quartet as the new Quartet in Residence at Mannes. 

The JACK Quartet will begin its tenure as a resident string quartet at Mannes this fall, when JACK will give concerts, coach ensembles, lead master classes, and more, including the appointment of each individual member of JACK to the major lesson faculty at Mannes. It is expected that the work of the JACK Quartet will include projects and partnerships across the entire College of Performing Arts and The New School. Mannes will host JACK’s new Frontiers Festival, a multi-faceted festival of contemporary music for string quartet that will launch in the fall of 2019 and will feature newly-commissioned works by Clara Iannotta, Catherine Lamb, Tyshawn Sorey, and Lester St. Louis.

In 2020, the second year of its residency, JACK will lead a brand-new Graduate String Quartet program at Mannes. Applications for this program will available later this year. 

The JACK Quartet appointment is a changing of the guard for Mannes, as it signals the conclusion of the Orion Quartet String Quartet’s 24-year residency at Mannes. 

The Mannes School of Music has a long history of resident string quartets and piano trios including not only the Orion String Quartet, but the Galimir Quartet and The Mannes Trio, the latter of which was founded by former Mannes president Leopold Mannes. David Mannes himself was a leading violinist of his generation, who often performed chamber music with his friend, Pablo Casals. The JACK Quartet announcement comes on the heels of the of the creation of the Philip Glass Institute at The New School’s College of Performing Arts, featuring the Philip Glass Ensemble as resident ensemble.

Richard Kessler, Executive Dean of the College of Performing Arts and Dean of Mannes stated: “We are thrilled to have the JACK Quartet make Mannes and The New School their educational home. We greatly admire JACK and believe they are a perfect fit for the increasingly contemporary and experimental profile of Mannes. I have no doubt that their magical approach to repertoire, performance practice, teaching, and inventive projects and partnerships will inspire our students and larger community across The New School. At the same time, we are deeply grateful to the Orion String Quartet for their 24 years of exemplary performances and teaching.”

John Pickford Richards, violist of the JACK Quartet, stated: “JACK’s curiosity about new music has led us to work with deeply inspiring artists around the globe, and we are grateful to share our richly varied experiences with the Mannes community. In addition to innovative teaching, we are thrilled to make The New School the home of our annual Frontiers Festival featuring music by artists who we think propel music forward. Mannes's vision of a broad musical community is one we are honored to join.”