Ulysses Quartet
Ulysses Quartet makes its first Phillips Music appearance with a program exploring American musical traditions, from ragtime and folk song to contemporary works. The concert features music by Jessie Montgomery, Seth Grosshandler, Christina Bouey, Scott Joplin, Rhiannon Giddens, Charles Ives, and Leonard Bernstein, concluding with themes from *West Side Story*.
Founded in 2015, Ulysses Quartet has earned major competition prizes and performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the National Gallery of Art, and the Taiwan National Recital Hall. The ensemble is known for combining polished artistry with adventurous programming and for highlighting underrepresented BIPOC and female composers.
When: Sunday, October 4, 2026
Showtimes: 4–6 p.m., including an intermission
Venue: The Phillips Collection
Tickets: Price not available
Ticket status: The concert is sold out. Limited rush tickets are offered on the Friday before the concert at 4 p.m., in person, online, or by phone, subject to availability. Limited standby tickets are available on the day of the concert on a first-come, first-served basis; in-person requests begin at 3 p.m. in the admissions lobby.
Program: Jessie Montgomery’s *Voodoo Dolls*; Seth Grosshandler’s *Dances for String Quartet*, comprising “Prelude,” “Passacaglia,” “Corrente,” “Minuet,” and “Rigaudon”; Christina Bouey’s *Soul*; selected rags by Scott Joplin arranged by Rhiannon Banerdt; Rhiannon Giddens’s *At the Purchaser’s Option*; Charles Ives’s *String Quartet No. 1: From the Salvation Army*, with “Chorale,” “Prelude,” “Offertory,” and “Postlude”; and Leonard Bernstein’s *Themes from West Side Story*, arranged by Christina Bouey.
Performers: Christina Bouey, violin; Rhiannon Banerdt, violin; Julian Seney, viola; and Grace Ho, cello.
About the ensemble: Ulysses Quartet won the senior string division of the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the 2018 Schoenfeld International String Competition, the 2017 American Prize, and the 2019 Vietnam International Music Competition. The ensemble has also held residencies at GBH Music, Juilliard, and the Louis Moreau Institute, as well as visiting residencies at Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, and Bucknell University.
Recordings: The quartet’s releases include its debut album, *Shades of Romani Folklore*, along with collaborative albums *Sea Change Quartets* with Joseph Summer and *A Giant Beside You* with guitarist Benjamin Verdery. The musicians also appear on Clovis Nicolas’s *The Contrapuntist*.
Note: The performance is generously sponsored by Martha R. Johnston.