Meta4 String Quartet

META4 STRING QUARTET Heritage Council, Church Lane, Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny Fri 8pm €15 056-7761497There's been something of an influx of Finnish conductors in Ireland this year, even if one of them, Pietari Inkinen, was prevented by an injury from appearing with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra last week.

This week, the focus is on a young Finnish string quartet, Meta4, which makes its Irish début in Kilkenny on Friday. The ensemble was founded in 2001, quickly started winning prizes at international competitions, and last year joined the BBC's New Generation Artists scheme and became quartet-in- residence at the Kuhmo Festival in Finland. Their Kilkenny programme offers works by Beethoven (the third of the Rasumovskyquartets), Mendelssohn (the late Quartet in F minor) and Finnish composer Jaako Kuusisto ( Play III).