Hear one of Chicago's most magnetic and forward-thinking chamber ensembles — the Spektral Quartet — read and rehearse new works by UMD composition students.

Founded in 2010, the Spektral Quartet takes an inclusive approach to concert format by shifting the role of audience member from spectator to ally. The group has sought out the discourse between the masterworks of the traditional canon and those written this decade, this year, or this week.

The 2013/14 season found Spektral Quartet venturing into the intersection of music and everyday life with its Mobile Miniatures project. For it, forty composers from across the US including David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Nico Muhly and Shulamit Ran were commissioned to write ringtone-length pieces for the quartet to workshop, record and make available to the public for download to mobile devices.

2013/14 also saw the release of the group’s first two full-length albums: Chambers, spotlighting the work of living, Chicago-based composers, and the South American-themed From This Point Forward with bandoneon/accordion virtuoso Julien Labro.