After lighting up Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Paris Philharmonie, the internationally acclaimed Castalian String Quartet lands in Princeton for a performance that hits close to home. Violist Natalie Loughran, a Princeton High School alumna, returns to her hometown stage alongside her powerhouse ensemble: Finnish first violinist Sini Simonen, and Welshmen Daniel Roberts (second violin) and Steffan Morris (cello). Praised by The Observer for performances “full of poetry, joy, and sorrow, realized to such perfection,” the Castalians were crowned Young Artist of the Year at the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards and currently hold a prestigious residency at Oxford University. Their name nods to Castalia, the mythic nymph whose sacred spring at Delphi was said to ignite artistic brilliance—and now, they bring that creative fire to Princeton with Janáček’s impassioned Intimate Letters and Mendelssohn’s luminous String Quartet Op. 44, No. 3. Take a seat on stage alongside the musicians and let the music wash over you—direct from the source, as if Castalia’s spring of inspiration were flowing at your feet.