Pro Arte Quartet Performs Beethoven at Kress

Midsummer’s Music will host the Pro Arte Quartet on Sunday, Sept. 19, 3 pm, at the Kress Pavilion, 7845 Church St. in Egg Harbor. The all-Beethoven repertoire will feature the composer’s Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3; Quintet in C Major, Op. 29; and Fugue for String Quintet, Op. 137.

The Pro Arte Quartet is believed to be the world’s oldest continuously performing string quartet and the first quartet anywhere to enjoy a university ensemble-in-residence status. Formed in 1911-12, the Quatuor Pro Arte of Brussels was performing at the Wisconsin Union Theater on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison on May 10, 1940, when Nazi forces overran and occupied Belgium, turning three of the quartet’s original four musicians into war orphans. By October 1940, the group had officially become the UW Pro Arte Quartet, making it the school’s first ensemble-in-residence.Purchase tickets ($30) at midsummersmusic.com or by phone at 920.854.7088. Reservations are recommended. A reception on the deck will follow the program.