META4, the string quartet based in Finland, burst onto the scene by winning top-prize at the prestigious Shostakovich Competition (2004) and the Joseph Haydn Quartet Competition (2007). Since then the group has become one of the most in-demand quartets active around the world, including recent appearances in London, Paris, Madrid, and the Far East. Violinists Antti Tikkanen and Minna Pensola - familiar to Staunton audiences for their many appearances at the summer festival - are joined by violist Atte Kilpeläinen and cellist Tomas Djupsjöbacka for a six-week US tour this fall. The Blackfriars concert is their only performance in Virginia.

Kaija Saariaho | "Terra memoria"
Dmitri Shostakovich | String Quartet No. 4 in D, Op. 83
Jean Sibelius | String Quartet in d ("Voces intimae"), Op. 56