This year the St. Lawrence String Quartet, "fearless musicians whose spontaneity stretches past conventional interpretation and probes the music's imaginative limits" (Washington Post), celebrates 25 years as a premier American ensemble. The quartet is widely appreciated for illuminating and informal onstage musical descriptions, delivered by charismatic violinist Geoff Nuttall. The program shows off the quartet's versatility, from canonic treasures (Haydn's Emperor quartet), to trailblazing masterworks (Beethoven's late quartet in C-sharp minor) and contemporary gems (Golijov's haunting Qohelet).