Diderot String Quartet

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

7:30 PM

The Diderot String Quartet will make their Athenaeum debut with a journey to 18th century Vienna, featuring masterpieces by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. One of the premiere ensembles performing on gut strings and historical instruments, this dynamic group (Adriane Post, violin; Johanna Novom, violin; Kyle Miller, viola; Paul Dwyer, cello) breathes new life into old works.

Program:

Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
Quartet No. 27 in D Major, op.20, no. 4 (1772)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421 (1783) 

Intermission

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Quartet No. 6 in B-flat Major, op. 18, no. 6 (1800)

The Diderot String Quartet—named after the 18th century French philosopher, and Boccherini enthusiast, Denis Diderot—brings a fresh approach to works of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Wall St Journal called a performance “emotional, riveting, and ultimately cathartic.” The quartet came together in 2012, after having first met at Oberlin Conservatory and The Juilliard School. The four musicians share a background in historical performance and a passion for the string quartet genre; they found the thrill of exploring the quartet repertoire on period instruments to be irresistible. 

Recent and upcoming engagements for the Diderot String Quartet include Chamber Music Pittsburgh, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music (NE), Chamber Music Corvallis (Oregon), Pegasus Early Music / NYS Baroque, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Friends of Chamber Music Vancouver and Early Music Vancouver, Early Music Society of the Islands (Victoria, British Columbia), Belvedere Series (Virginia), Helicon Foundation (New York City), Music in the Somerset Hills (Bernardsville, New Jersey), Rockefeller University’s Tri-Institutional (Tri-I) Noon Recital Series (NYC), Carmel Bach Festival (California), Electric Earth Concerts (Peterborough, New Hampshire), and The Crypt Sessions and Music Before 1800 in New York City. The quartet has also been featured in performance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Toledo Museum of Art, and the Morgan Library in New York.

Diderot String Quartet served as Quartet-in-Residence at Washington National Cathedral for five seasons and served as guest faculty for Oberlin’s Baroque Performance Institute. The quartet commissioned and premiered Small Infinities, a new work for gut strings from composer Lembit Beecher, and collaborates frequently with internationally acclaimed artists, including Jesse Blumberg, Dashon Burton, David Breitman, Avi Stein, and Harry Bicket. Diderot has a forthcoming album of string quartets by Haydn (op. 20, nos. 2 and 4).

This concert is generously sponsored by Sally and Einar Gall.

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.

The concerts will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for these concerts. Your name will be on the attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. Priority seating will be given to Donor level members and above. 

Ticket Confirmation Notice: 

Your reservation is not complete until you receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation email, your tickets have not been reserved. Please check your inbox and spam/junk folder or contact us at info@ljathenaeum.org or (858) 454-5872 to ensure your booking is finalized. 

Thank you!