Join UMSL’s internationally acclaimed Arianna String Quartet for “First Mondays with the ASQ”. 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 UMSL’s renowned Arianna String Quartet, as they examine the dynamic process of interpretation, live performance, and connections between classical music and our world.
Keep an eye on this page for more information on upcoming performances.
Monday, March 2, 2026
“Athletics and Teamwork in Classical Music”
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.
Monday, April 6, 2026
“The Chemistry of Sound”
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”.
Monday, May 4, 2026
@ The Schlafly Tap Room
“Art of the Brew 7!”
Join the Arianna String Quartet and Lead Brewer Jared Williamson for the seventh annual “Art of the Brew”! 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!
News Articles for The Arianna String Quartet
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You know them, love them, and miss them, but you can see the Arianna String Quartet again throughout spring!ASQ, the renowned resident classical quartet… -
The Arianna String Quartet is performing their last concert of the spring in the First Monday series on Monday, May 4 in the St. Louis Public Radio… -
Founded in 1992, the Arianna String Quartet (ASQ) moved from Michigan to St. Louis in 2000 and became the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of…
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The Arianna String Quartet (ASQ) recently returned from a month-long tour performing and teaching in South Africa. That experience is reflected in the… -
When a family has 10 children who all study music, it’s natural that some of them might form an ensemble. In the case of the Dickson family, 4 of them not… -
This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 8, 2011 - Tragedies such as the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan often trigger an…
