Members of the group – Masumi Rostad on viola, violinists Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson, and cellist Brandon Vamos – are personal as well as musical friends. They took their name from the awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean of their West Coast origins, and strive to be, in the words of the American author James Montgomery, “distinct as the billows, yet one as the sea.”

The upcoming Newtown program should display the versatility of the talented Pacifica Quartet particularly well. The Harp quartet received its nickname from a harp-like pizzicato figure in the first movement. Although written at a time when Vienna was being bombarded by the French and Beethoven’s personal life was characterized by poverty and rejection, the composition often conveys tranquility, spirituality, emotional richness, and even optimism.

In contrast, the Hindemith work is very much a product of the Germany of the 1920s, a country in great turmoil, pervaded by hopelessness and disillusion. Serene and lyric sections are juxtaposed with savage, disjointed rhythms and flamboyant cadenzas.

The Mendelssohn quartet, the composer’s own favorite, will bring the program to an emotionally satisfying close, with its spirited first movement, gentle inner movements, and a finale in which a fiery dance contrasts with a soft and lyrical theme.

The concert is being sponsored by Western Connecticut Federal Credit Union.

Free parking and handicap access are available at Edmond Town Hall. Light refreshments will be served following the performance to give the audience an opportunity to speak with the artists in an informal setting.

Tickets are $15 for all adults. Children between the ages of five and 14 are welcome and admitted free of charge when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult.

For reservations call 426-6470. Tickets will also be available at the box office of Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street (Route 25) in Newtown, one hour before the start of the concert.