Maxwell String Quartet | Chamber Concert | Athenaeum Music & Arts Library | La Jolla (November 17)

Monday, November 17, 2025
7:30 PM

A longtime favorite on the Athenaeum chamber music series, the Maxwell String Quartet returns with a colorful program that opens with their signature dose of Scottish folk tunes, followed by Edmund Finnis’s first quartet, a poetic work that draws inspiration from the choral music of William Byrd, which closes the first half in an arrangement by the Maxwell String Quartet. Brahms’s epic second quartet rounds out this exciting evening.

Program:
Traditional
Gaelic Psalms of the Western Isles of Scotland (arr. Maxwell Quartet)

Edmund Finnis (b. 1984)
String Quartet No. 1, “Aloysius” (2018)

William Byrd (1540–1623)
Ave Verum Corpus (arr. Maxwell Quartet)

Intermission

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, op. 51, no. 2 (1873)

The Maxwell String Quartet combines a refined approach to classical works with a passion for its own folk heritage and a commitment to expanding the string quartet repertoire through wide-ranging projects. Friends since they met playing in youth orchestras in Scotland, their tight bond shows through in compelling musical interpretations and their joyous communication with audiences.



Strongly connected to its own Scottish roots, the group often performs classical repertoire and new music alongside folk-inspired works. Its first two releases on Linn Records paired string quartets by Haydn with the players’ own compositions based on Scottish folk music, the first reaching number three in the classical specialist charts. They recently gave the world premiere of a new commission by Linda Buckley with bagpiper Brìghde Chambal, touring to Celtic Connections and across Europe.

They also continue to tour Worksongs, a project exploring the folk songs and cultures of Scotland’s historic industries, including the jute and tweed trades. Their 2023 CD, Gather, brought together traditional Scottish music ranging from 1200 to the present day, such as ancient Celtic plainchant, fishermen’s songs, pipe marches, and Shetland Reels, as well as new compositions. They have worked also with soul duo Lunir and folk duo Chris Stout & Catriona MacKay.



The players founded their own Loch Shiel festival in the West Highlands of Scotland and curated a concert series at Guardswell Farm in Perthshire. In 2024 they served as Artistic Directors of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival.

All concerts are preceded by a pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. and are followed by a reception with the artists in the Sharon & Joel Labovitz Entry Hall.