The Department of Music will welcome the acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet to Slee Hall this month. Nicholas Kitchen, the quartet’s first violinist and founding member, will present a public talk at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall on the North Campus. The full quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. the next evening in Lippes Concert Hall.

The performance opens the Slee Beethoven String Quartet Cycle, a six-concert exploration of one of the most consequential bodies of work in chamber music.

Known for its thrilling performances and fresh readings of the classical canon, the Borromeo String Quartet brings a distinctive combination of musical insight, technical precision and curiosity to the stage. The ensemble is also recognized as a pioneer in the use of technology to deepen musicians’ and audiences’ engagement with the repertoire.

The Sept. 24 program begins a season-long journey through Beethoven’s string quartets. Written across the composer’s lifetime, the works trace an extraordinary artistic evolution, from the classical foundations of the early quartets to the expansive and experimental language of his later years.

The Borromeo String Quartet will return to Lippes Concert Hall for two additional performances on Nov. 10 and 11, both at 7:30 p.m.

The Slee Beethoven String Quartet Cycle will unfold across six concerts during the 2026–27 season, giving Western New York audiences a rare opportunity to experience Beethoven’s quartets as an interconnected body of work. A Beethoven String Quartet Season Pass, covering all six performances, is available for $95.

Individual tickets for the Borromeo String Quartet are $20 and may be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Slee Hall box office.