ASQ | FIRST MONDAYS
Join UMSL’s internationally acclaimed Arianna String Quartet for “First Mondays with the ASQ”, at UMSL Grand Center! This one-of-a kind interdisciplinary concert series offers audience members a rare behind the scenes look into the craft and artistry of the string quartet, and an opportunity for informal, direct discussion and interaction with the members of the Arianna String Quartet, as they examine the dynamic process of interpretation, live performance, and connections between classical music and our world.
FIRST MONDAYS | 2025-26
Concert Lectures begin at 7 P.M.
Monday, October 6, 7 P.M.
“The Dao of Music”
with Dr. Pauline Lee,
Associate Professor of Chinese Thought and Cultures at St. Louis University.
The graceful and beautiful approaches of ancient Chinese philosophy can have profound relevance in our lives and activities today, including the activities of performing and listening to music! Join the Arianna String Quartet and Dr. Pauline Lee, Associate Professor of Chinese Thought and Cultures at St. Louis University, for a fascinating exploration of how ideas from over two thousand years ago can find relevance in unexpected places in our daily lives.
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Monday, November 3, 7:00 PM
“Art and Music II”,
with Mike Behle,
Chair of the Art and Design Department at UMSL
The Arianna String Quartet is delighted to share their ongoing conversation about connections between the visual and musical arts with Mike Behle, Chair of the Art & Design Department at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. The invisibility of music and the silence of visual art creates complementary spaces in which both can exist as reflections of the same human need to create art and to share in it’s enjoyment.
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Monday, December 1, 7:00 PM
“Music and Our Emotions”
with Dr. Sandra Langeslag,
Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Missouri St. Louis and Director of the Neurocognition of Emotion and Motivation Lab
We are continually being influenced by music that encourages us to feel and act in distinct ways. This happens in the concert hall, the movie theater, and even at the grocery store. How does this work, and why is it so effective? To examine this and other connections between our emotions, motivations, and the music all around us, the Arianna String Quartet is joined by Dr. Sandra Langeslag, Associate Professor in Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri St. Louis and director of the Neurocognition of Emotion and Motivation Lab. Please join us for this fascinating discussion on the power of music and ways it connects us to the world of our emotions.
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Monday, March 2, 7:00 PM
“Athletics and Teamwork in Classical Music”,
with Dr. Michael Ross,
Professor of Psychology at SLU and co-founder of the Saint Louis University Sport Psychological Sciences and Consultation Lab.
Understanding athleticism, teamwork, and performance anxiety are important aspects of being a professional musician, and these challenges are shared by athletes continually endeavoring to be at their best under pressure. Join the Arianna String Quartet for a special presentation with Dr. Michael Ross, Professor of Psychology at SLU and co-founder of the Saint Louis University Sport Psychological Sciences and Consultation Lab. Through research based conversation and musical performance, this joint presentation will examine the connections between the life of a musician and the latest scientific breakthroughs in performance psychology, finding a ‘flow state’, and other strategies to cope with the stresses of any type of performance, whether in the boardroom, the sports arena, or on stage.
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Monday, April 6, 7:00 PM
“The Chemistry of Sound”,
with Dr. James Bashkin,
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMSL
As humans, we are never static, and as we move through the environments in which we live and work, we are constantly experiencing changes in how we feel and how we think. The music we hear, the music we make, and even the music we imagine has a tremendous impact on the chemistry of our lives and how we experience our individual sense of stability and instability, consonance and dissonance, and even our perception of how time moves. Music itself can be heard and experienced as acoustic chemistry, where individual strands of sound come together to form structures of great strength and flexibility, conjure ever-changing colors, and even shifting in density and mass. The ASQ is thrilled to once again be joined by Dr. James Bashkin, UMSL’s brilliant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who will bring his wealth of knowledge and experience, and wonderful sense of humor, to what is sure to be an informative, lively and entertaining evening discussing and exploring “The Chemistry of Sound”. Please join us!
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Monday, May 4, 7:00PM
”Art of the Brew 7!”
Schlafly Tap Room,
with Lead Brewer, Jared Williamson
Join the Arianna String Quartet and Lead Brewer Jared Williamson for the seventh annual “Art of the Brew”, Monday May 4th at 7 PM at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street. The Arianna String Quartet will play six chamber music masterpieces, selected specifically to pair with Jared’s curated selection of six favorite Schlafly beers, and discuss how the ingredients that create great music and great beer are not as different as you might expect. This evening of distinctive Schlafly brews and inspiring string quartets has become a St. Louis spring tradition and an audience favorite!
Don’t miss this unique evening featuring Schlafly’s celebrated beers paired with the dazzling playing of the ASQ! That’s Monday May 4th at 7 PM at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street, in St. Louis, presented by KWMU.