KONTRAS QUARTET explores the role of chamber music in the new millennium, at once keeping classic tradition and style alive while embracing new opportunities and fusing genres to expand the art form and include a more diverse audience. Formed in 2009, the "superb Chicago-based ensemble" (Gramophone Magazine) has become known for its vibrant and nuanced performances, “crisp precision" (Palm Beach Daily News), "superlative artistry" (CVNC Arts Journal), and unique penchant for exploring the folk roots of classical music. Kontras’s "enjoyable musical personality" (Fanfare Magazine) and welcoming, friendly approach to the recital stage have attracted audiences near and far for over a decade. Kontras means ‘contrasts’ in the Afrikaans language - fitting for a string ensemble whose colorful repertoire spans centuries, genres, and continents.

Sunday's concert program, Wayfarer, includes seven selections.

"Sometimes the most compelling music is music that puts us in a vulnerable state of mind, and makes us ask more questions than it answers. Other times, we just need a good romp to break the spell. This program offers up both: the opportunity to reflect and ponder the greater forces at play in our lives, while also leading us down a path to something exalted, something that fills us with delight. That’s why we call it the Wayfarer: a soul filled with wanderlust, searching for meaning, searching for adventure, searching for connection."

           - Kontras Quartet