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 | 2026-27
Concert Lectures begin at 7 P.M.

Monday, October 12, 7 P.M.
“The Art of Quartet Playing,”
featuring the ASQ ‍

For the Arianna String Quartet, performing a string quartet involves much more than playing the notes off the page. Through decades of playing together, the members of the Arianna String Quartet have developed a unique approach to this compelling genre of music that has earned them a place among America’s finest chamber ensembles. Through the music of Mendelssohn, Dohnanyi, and Pulitzer Prize winner Gabriela Lena Frank, the members of the quartet will take you behind the scenes into the process of the Arianna String Quartet in their quest to get to the heart of the music, and to reveal its expression to their enthusiastic audiences at home and abroad.

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Monday, November 2, 7:00 PM
“Engaging with Playfulness”,
with Dr. Maureen Quigley
Teaching Professor of Art & Design at UMSL

The arts evolved from a sense of play, but when we enter an Art Museum or Concert Hall, ‘playfulness’ may not be foremost in our minds. How can we transcend the formality of a public event to engage our own sense of play and celebration of the fine arts? Beyond representations of the delightful, a sense of play is an essential element in the arts on many levels. Join Dr. Maureen Quigley, Professor of Art and Design at UMSL, and the Arianna String Quartet in an ongoing conversation about the relationship between the visual and musical arts that will bring you new access to a personal appreciation of every art form.

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Monday, December 7, 7:00 PM
“The Philosophy of Conversation”
with Dr. Stephanie Ross,
UMSL Professor Emeritus of Philosophy

 

UMSL Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Stephanie Ross joins the Arianna String Quartet for an evening devoted to the art of conversation illustrated through a discussion of how conversation occurs in music and among musicians. What makes a good conversation? How do you know when you’ve had one, and how can we all have more of them? A satisfying conversation is comprised of particular features, that, once identified, can be included in any type of exchange. The Arianna String Quartet exists through conversations, with one another, with the composer through their notes on the page, and through the music itself creating a satisfying experience for their audiences. Join us for a fascinating exploration of how our conversations illuminate our world.

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Monday, March 1, 7:00 PM
“Beethoven, Kant, Hegel, and Schiller”, 
with Andrew Black,
Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy at UMSL 

The composer Ludwig van Beethoven lived at the beginning of the 19th century, a time that was permeated with new ideas for the ways people could relate to one another, to society, and to their place in the universe. Is there an overarching humanity we can aspire to, and if so, how might we get there? Beethoven was a composer who sought, through music, an answer to this question posed by Immanuel Kant and other contemporary philosophers of his day. Join the Arianna String Quartet and UMSL Philosophy Professor Andrew Black for a musical and philosophical exploration of the new ideas coursing through Beethoven’s world, and how Beethoven discovered through his music a relationship between the moral law within us and the starry heavens above.

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Monday, April 5, 7:00 PM
“Beethoven as a Storyteller”,
with Ken Wolfe
Storyteller and Professor,
Pierre Laclede Honors College at UMSL

Among the many ways that Beethoven excels as a composer is in his ability to define a musical character, and then allow us to trace that character’s development through its various adventures to a satisfying conclusion. The compositional techniques Beethoven uses to accomplish this are actually the same features that have empowered great storytellers the world over. To dive into this relationship between music and storytelling, the Arianna String Quartet welcomes Ken Wolfe, a twenty-year lecturer in the Art of Storytelling at UMSL’s Pierre Laclede Honors College and a five-time champion of the Missouri State Liars Contest. Join us for a musical evening of stories and storytellers.  Please join us!

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Monday, May 3, 7:00PM
”Art of the Brew 8!”
Schlafly Tap Room,
with Lead Brewer, Jared Williamson

The Arianna String Quartet is once again joined by Schlafly Lead Brewer, Jared Williamson, in what has become a St. Louis spring tradition: the pairing of six fantastic beers with six movements of great string quartets! This year, as part of the Arianna Quartet’s performances of the Complete Beethoven Quartets, the evening will highlight the vast variety of musical flavors and textures that exist in these amazing works of musical art. Hoist a cold one with Jared Williamson, the ASQ, and Beethoven in this celebratory evening guaranteed to make new connections between your ears and your palate!

Don’t miss this unique evening featuring Schlafly’s celebrated beers paired with the dazzling playing of the ASQ! That’s Monday May 3rd  at 7 PM at the Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust Street, in St. Louis, presented by KWMU.

ASQ Full Schedule