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The group is the Arianna String Quartet, they’re based in St. Louis, and they have lineage. Each member is a graduate of a major conservatory, they’ve won prizes, played big festivals and released several CDs. And they’re very good with the classics, including Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7, which they’re playing Sunday.

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The Arianna Quartet is also touring with Ross Bauer’s String Quartet No. 3. Violinist John McGrosso said they picked it because it’s a new work that has a lot to say.

“Ross Bauer’s Quartet is rich, varied, extremely lyrical, very intense and exciting.”

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Next month, Bauer comes in for national recognition in the form of an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a venerable organization founded in 1904, with Mark Twain as a charter member.
You’ve got two chances to hear the Arianna Quartet at UC Davis. There’s free one-hour concert on Thursday at noon in the Music Building. And there’s a full-length concert Sunday evening at the Mondavi Center.

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