For more than 40 years, the Ciompi Quartet has been Duke’s steadfast resident chamber ensemble, interpreting both ageless repertory and bracing new music with colloquial warmth and musicality. They return with as exciting and substantial a season as we have seen from them in recent years, with highlights including classic quartets by Haydn, Dvořák, Shostakovich, and Beethoven; collaborations with Leeds International Piano Competition winner Ian Hobson and the top-class Borromeo String Quartet; and the world premiere of a new quartet by Smith College professor Donald Wheelock. In a season full of extraordinary international chamber music, the Ciompi reminds us of the staggering talent nurtured right here in Durham.

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5
DONALD WHEELOCK: String Quartet No. 6 (World Premiere)
ELGAR: Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84 (with Ian Hobson, piano)