“The Fine Arts Quartet ranks among the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive legacy of over 200 recorded works. Founded in Chicago in 1946, the Quartet is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over three-quarters of a century.
“The Quartet’s renowned violinists, Ralph Evans (prizewinner in the International Tchaikovsky Competition) and Efim Boico (former concertmaster of the Orchestre de Paris under Barenboim) have performed together for over 40 years. They are joined by two eminent musicians: violist Gil Sharon (founder of the Amati Ensemble) and cellist Niklas Schmidt (co-founder of Trio Fontenay).”
Naxos Website
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We are planning an ambitious 80th anniversary festival for May 17-31, 2026, with an expanded schedule of six concerts.
The concerts will feature selections revealing the Fine Arts Quartet’s classical music legacy:
Mozart’s six viola quintets explore the full spectrum of human emotions, from peaks of anguish to sublime beauty, in profoundly autobiographical music.
Beethoven’s first six quartets showcase a young maverick finding his voice through virtuosic novel approaches that announce a musical revolutionary.
Reserve these dates for the Festival:
Sunday May 17 UWM Zelazo
Tuesday May 19 Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
Thursday May 21 UWM Recital Hall
Tuesday May 26 UWM Recital Hall
Thursday May 28 UWM Recital Hall
Sunday May 31 UWM Zelazo
The Sunday Żelazо concerts will be held at 3:00 pm in the afternoon. The Tuesday and Thursday concerts will take place at 7:30 pm in the evening — one at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, the others at the intimate UW-Milwaukee Recital Hall, which served as the home of Fine Arts Quartet concerts for many decades.
See time and venue information here.
Many more details about the concerts and supporting events will follow shortly.
No Tickets required
To simplify arrangements for the concert, there will be no ticketing. The concert is free to the public with general seating. More information on seating here.
Meet the members of the Quartet
Learn about the Summer 2026 return of the Quartet on Sunday, July 12!
Our Partners
The Peck School of the Arts, UW-Milwaukee has been collaborating with the series, assisting with the Zelazo Center performances.
The Friends of the Fine Arts Quartet has contracted with Create Wisconsin to manage the funds for all concerts. They have created a dedicated account – The Fine Arts Quartet Fund – for that purpose. Visit our page on the Create Wisconsin site to donate.
Note: Create Wisconsin is the new name for Arts Wisconsin. The Friends of the Fine Arts Quartet has been working with this fiscal service since 2019.