Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular three-concert series on Saturdays.

The Axelrod Quartet—Marc Destrubé (violin), James Dunham (viola), Kenneth Slowik (violoncello), and now includes violinist Mark Fewer—presents three programs, each of which is anchored by one of Schubert’s last quartets. Additional works of quartet masters Haydn, Beethoven, and Shostakovich are joined by three 20th-century works related, in their diversity, to varied interests of the National Museum of American History through the 2023-2024 concert season. Note that only Saturday concerts feature a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m. 

Concert Program

This concert features music by Dmitri Shostakovich, Franz Schubert, and 20th-century composer, Osvaldo Golijov. The music of the Argentinian Osvaldo Golijov, resident in the United States since 1986, has been characterized as “forcing us to look and listen in a way that we're not asked to do inside other music, speaking to the divisiveness and coming together of cultures.”

• Osvoldo Golijov: Tenebrae for String Quartet
• Dmitri Shostakovich: Quartet No. 7
• Franz Schubert: Quartet in G Major, D887

Additional Axelrod String Quartet Saturday Series Concerts

• December 9
• April 6
• This series is also available on Sundays.

Other Smithsonian Chamber Music Society Performances

• Masterworks of Five Centuries 2023-2024 Saturday concert series
• Masterworks of Five Centuries 2023-2024 Sunday concert series

General Information

• Advance registration for this concert will tentatively end by 2 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26, 2024. If any last-minute tickets become available at the door, be prepared to use your mobile device and credit card only. No cash transactions.
• Refer to our health and safety information for in-person programs.