The DaPonte String Quartet will preface its Thursday night, March 14, concert at Thomaston’s Episcopal Church of St. John Baptist with a daytime visit to the students of Rockland’s South School. The in-school program is made possible by a grant from the Simmons Foundation.

When the DaPonte String Quartet moved to Maine from Philadelphia 20 years ago, the musicians made it part of their mission to bring music to the rural areas of the state. An equally important part of their mission is to help educate a new generation of school children and music fans. For many years, they have been bringing free classical performances and standards-based classroom instruction to elementary schools, many of which have very limited funds to provide arts education. Programs are presented at no cost to the schools or parents.

The evening concert’s program, which will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at the church, 200 Main St./Route 1, looks forward to the coming of spring by offering some musical color. The program includes Haydn’s Opus 76, No. 4; Debussy’s String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10; and Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for String Quartet.

Among the last quartets Haydn wrote, this one, called “The Sunrise” is said to be terrifying to play. It gets its nickname from one of the greatest openings in chamber music, notes that evoke the rising of the sun, and concludes with a coda at a “blistering” tempo.

Debussy wrote only one string quartet, but it is a doozy. Sensual and impressionistic, Opus 10 is considered a watershed in the history of chamber music because it represents a complete break from traditional rules of harmony and the rigid structures of the form.

Stravinsky, the single greatest composer of the 20th century, wrote Three Pieces in a mere four days. Full of the color of Stravinsky’s native Russia, it is, like Debussy’s quartet, considered a revolutionary work.

The concert also will be presented Friday night, March 15, at Damariscotta’s Lincoln Theatre; Saturday night, March 16, at the Portland Public Library; and Sunday, March 17, at 3 p.m. at Topsham’s Mid-Coast Presbyterian Church. Tickets are $20, free for those younger than 21, available online at daponte.org or by calling 529-4555.

Courier Publications’ A&E Editor Dagney C. Ernest can be reached at (207) 594-4401, ext. 115 or dernest@courierpublicationsllc.com.