The Vermeer Quartet, resident performers for over 30 years at NIU, will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in the concert hall of the Music Building.

The string quartet, which formed in 1969, has become world-renowned for its recordings of pieces by classical artists including Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Hayden, Bartok and others.

Professor Paul Bauer, director of the NIU School of Music, said he thinks tonight’s performance will be quite special, as any by the Vermeer Quartet is.

“They typically play two concerts every [semester],” Bauer said. “You could pay $40 or more to see them in Chicago and on campus, it’s free.”

All four members of the quartet are professors at the School of Music, and teach their expertise of classical music and their respective instruments to music students at NIU.

First violinist Schmuel Ashkenasi is originally from Israel and fellow violinist Mathias Tacke hails from Germany. Violist Richard Young and cello player Marc Johnson are from the United States and come from New York and Nebraska, respectively.

In addition to being the resident quartet at NIU since 1984, the foursome has been the resident quartet for Performing Arts Chicago, a highly acclaimed performing arts venue that attracts the best in classical music, theatre and dance from Chicagoland.

The group is well-known for their album “The Seven Last Words of Christ,” which was nominated for a Grammy in 1996. The album consists of the quartet’s rendition of Franz Joseph Hayden’s original classical score composed in 1786.

Vermeer’s rendition of Hayden’s original score became popular because they use only four instruments on the album, whereas Hayden’s original piece was intended for a complete orchestral arrangement.

The quartet will be performing several works from different composers during tonight’s performance, said Lynn Slater, coordinator of admissions and public relations for the School of Music.

The quartet is planning on performing pieces written by Schubert, Czerny and Dvorak.

For more information about the performance, visit the Music Building or the NIU School of Music’s concert information page at www.niu.edu/music/schedule.