Music in the Vineyards (MITV), a three-week chamber music festival held each August in Napa Valley, announced on Jan. 27 it will partner with Chamber Music in Napa Valley (CMNV) to put on Music for Students — a free, educational program that places students in conversation with professional musicians.
During the program, professional musicians perform for the class and talk about their instruments and career experiences. The new partnership between CMNV and MITV is an “expansion of [MITV’s] educational offerings,” and will allow the program to run throughout the academic year, according to the statement.
Napa Valley residents and vintners John and Maggy Kongsgaard launched CMNV’s Music for Students in 2003, employing Tom Abbey as the program’s school coordinator. Abbey retired in 2025, prompting the leadership transition over to MITV.
Schools in Napa Valley area interested in Music for Students can request a performance through MITV. Three dates have already been booked in 2026 — two occurred in January with the Jupiter String Quartet, and there is an upcoming session on Feb. 6 with Cuarteto Casals.
The Jupiter String Quartet is mainly a family affair, with three of its four members related either by blood or by law. The renowned ensemble has performed at prestigious venues and festivals across the nation, from Carnegie Hall to the Music@Menlo festival. The musicians have also been artists-in-residence and chamber music program directors at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign since 2012.
Cuarteto Casals takes inspiration from its global background, with a focus on pedagogy. The group was formed in Madrid and has performed in concert halls across Europe, from Paris’s Cité de la Musique to Vienna’s Konzerthaus, in addition to several teaching residencies. During the 2025–2026 season, the ensemble also plans to perform Shostakovich’s complete string quartets in both live and recorded formats.
