The first and only quartet ever to reach its centennial anniversary, the Pro Arte Quartet brings a remarkable century of experience behind every note. Founded in Brussels in 1912, Pro Arte has been in residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1940. The ensemble boasts a storied history — Bartók’s monumental fourth quartet is dedicated to Pro Arte, and they premiered Barber’s iconic Op. 11 (“Adagio for Strings”).

Pro Arte Quartet’s UChicago program explores voices old and new: Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte—a work full of subtle, technicolor transitions; contemporary Ukrainian composer Denys Lytvynenko’s sorrowful String Quartet No. 2; and Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, the second of the composer’s beloved, Russian-inspired “Rasumovsky” quartet cycle.