The acclaimed Balourdet Quartet — praised for their “absolute musical perfection,” “full, robust sound” and “impeccable balance” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer) — opens this concert of unforgettable chamber music with Schubert’s dramatic “Quartettsatz,” a powerful piece that makes a bold impact in just a few minutes.

They continue with the vibrant new work “Galaxy Back to You” by composer Nicky Sohn, full of color and imagination. Next is Eleanor Alberga’s thrilling Quartet No. 2, filled with driving rhythms and bursting with energy from the very first moment. To close the evening, members of the UNCSA string faculty join the quartet for Brahms’ rich and lyrical Sextet No. 1, a work Clara Schumann called “even more beautiful than I had anticipated.”