Music lovers have a chance to sample a hugely diverse range of short works by seven very different composers in the DaPonte String Quartet’s upcoming concert series entitled “Short and Sweet.” Performances are in Portland, Thomaston, Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor and Topsham on May 16, 17, 22, 23 and 24, respectively. In addition, a sixth concert has been added to the series for the first time, June 5 at the Wells-Ogunquit Meetinghouse in Wells as part of the “Classical Music in Historic Sites” project.

“This is really a veritable smorgasbord,” said the Quartet’s violist Kirsten Monke. “In a short amount of time, this program covers wildly differing styles and moods. It’s like reading short stories by great novelists: Each of these little jewels captures the essence of what makes each of these composers great.”

On the menu are works by composers from six countries, four continents and three centuries. They include “Quartettsatz” by the classical Austrian composer Franz Schubert, “Crisantemi” by the Italian opera maestro Giacomo Puccini, “Concertino” by Russian master Igor Stravinsky, “Italian Serenade” by Hugo Wolf (born in what is now Slovenia), “Funf Satze” by 20th-century Austrian composer Anton Webern, “Lullaby” by the beloved American composer George Gershwin and “Four, for Tango” by Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazzolla.

The DaPonte, Maine’s premier string quartet, moved to Maine in 1992 on a rural arts grant from Chamber Music America and the National Endowment for the Arts. They perform over 70 concerts a year from Presque Isle to Ogunquit. They were recently voted “Maine’s Best Music Group” for 2014 by readers of Down East Magazine.

Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 16 in Portland at the Public Library, 5 Monument Square; May 22 in Damariscotta at Lincoln Theater, 2 Theater St.; May 23 at St. Columba’s Church, 32 Emery Way, Boothbay Harbor (near St. Andrews Village); and June 5 at the Wells-Ogunquit Meetinghouse, 938 Post Road, Wells. Matinees are at 3 p.m. on May 17 in Thomaston at St John’s Church, 200 Main St.; and May 24 in Topsham at the Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church, 84 Main St. Tickets are $20, and are available at www.DaPonte.org, at Maine Coast Books in Damariscotta, Longfellow Books in Portland and Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick. For more information, call 529-4555.

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