WEBERN STRING QUARTET to Perform at Mount Wilson Observatory's Dome Concert Series
Artistic director Cécilia Tsan curates the program, featuring works by Todd Mason and Beethoven inside the 100-inch telescope's dome.
Mount Wilson Observatory is set to present WEBERN STRING QUARTET on Sunday, September 6, 2026, as the fifth offering of its 2026 Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome season. The performance will take place inside the historic dome of the observatory's 100-inch Telescope in Los Angeles County, with shows scheduled for 3:00pm and 5:00pm. Musicians Benjamin Hoffman and Chiai Tajima on violins, Alex Granger on viola, and Stella Cho on cello will perform Todd Mason's String Quartet No. 5, 'The Phoenix' (2025), and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Op. 132.
Tickets cost $65 each and are available for purchase online. For more information on this concert, visit mtwilson.edu/events/concert0906256. For more on the entire Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome series, visit mtwilson.edu/concerts.
Webern String Quartet
Founded in Los Angeles in 2022, the Webern String Quartet—Benjamin Hoffman and Chiai Tajima (violins), Alex Granger (viola), and Stella Cho (cello)—has quickly established itself as one of the most compelling young ensembles on the international chamber music scene. Named after Anton Webern, the quartet centers its artistic identity around the music of the Second Viennese School while bringing the same clarity and immediacy to repertoire spanning the classical canon and newly written works. The ensemble has been featured in The New Yorker, where they were praised for having 'found the through line of Schoenberg's personality,' and in Strings Magazine, which highlighted their groundbreaking Arnold Schoenberg Center residency in Vienna and recording partnership with Etcetera Records. Their acclaimed 2025 recording of the complete Schoenberg string quartets was praised by American Record Guide for its 'clarity and conviction' and 'ghostlike power.'
Beyond the concert hall, the Webern String Quartet is committed to the intersection of art, wellness, and community advocacy through performances with Santa Monica's dnj Gallery, supporting patient-artists, medical professionals, and the wider public. Looking ahead, the ensemble continues an ambitious touring schedule across Europe and the United States while recording the works of Alban Berg and Anton Webern for Etcetera Records, completing its recorded survey of the Second Viennese School. Its members hail from Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, bringing a diverse cultural perspective to a shared artistic mission grounded in refinement, curiosity, and expressive depth.
Cécilia Tsan (artistic director)
The concert series, curated by Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan, principal cellist of the Long Beach Symphony and Los Angeles Master Chorale, presents the same one-hour program twice each date, with an artist reception scheduled at 4:00pm between performances. Tickets are priced at $65 each.
Photo Credit: Melissa Dougherty
Photo Credit: Melissa Dougherty
