The Astrodon Quartet: Voices Under 40

The Baltimore-based Astrodon Quartet, Mount Vernon Virtuosi’s Fellowship String Quartet, performs this season’s Emerging Artists Concert at 4pm at the Great Falls Grange on Sunday, January 11th, 2026.

Emerging Artists Concerts at Amadeus are meant to highlight young artists on the cusp of a national career in music. In the spirit of our Emerging Artists banner, the Astrodon Quartet’s program will focus on Voices Under 40, highlighting works written by composers that were under 40 at the time of writing: Strum, by American composer Jessie Montgomery, draws on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement, slowly transforming over 10 minutes into ecstatic celebration. Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems by Sri Lankan-born Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne, utilizes The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, as well as I will not let thee go by Robert Bridges, and pulls loops, grooves, and melodies out of a voiceless setting for the quartet. These recent works are complimented by two older quartets written when their composers were just 28–30 years old—works that pair irresistible lyricism with propulsive dance energy: Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 18 No 3 in D Major, and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op. 44 No. 2 in e minor.

Come early at 3:15pm for a pre-concert discussion with quartet members and Executive/Artistic Director Stephen Gorbos, and join us afterwards for a reception with the artists. FREE for youth 18 and under; $25 young adult ages 19 – 29; $50 General Admission. Click here for tickets.