The musicians of the St. Lawrence String Quartet play well together. They're technically brilliant. But what truly makes the quartet special is the passion for the music—and the rapport with one another—that comes through each time they take up their bows.

The ensemble-in-residence at Stanford University, which in October 2011 launched the Center for the Performing Arts three-season series of the complete Ludwig van Beethoven string quartets, returns to Penn State's Schwab Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for the first concert of the Beethoven cycle's second season.

Three works are on the bill—the Beethoven quartets in B-flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6; F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, Rasumovsky; and E-flat Major, Op. 127.

Tickets are available for the concert, which is part of season two of the Center for the Performing Arts Classical Music Project.

Artistic Viewpoints, which takes place in Schwab one hour before the Nov. 14 performance and is free for ticket holders, features the quartet musicians. They're excellent communicators, so this is a session that promises to be especially insightful.

Hear a Center for the Performing Arts interview with St. Lawrence cellist Christopher Costanza.

Read my colleague Jennifer Pencek's feature article about the St. Lawrence and the Beethoven concert.

Free round-trip trolley service, beginning at 6:05 p.m. Wednesday and continuing every 20 minutes, is offered between Penn State's Eisenhower Parking Deck and Schwab. Parking in the deck is free for concert goers.