The DaPonte String Quartet mixes the old with the new when it kicks off its summer season at the end of June. The Quartet performs in seven venues from Kennebunk to Islesboro, culminating in late August with the popular annual three-day festival at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, this year entitled the "Scandalous Music Festival."

The three programs of the regular summer series are: "A Walk Through the Vienna Woods," with music of Mozart, Webern and Beethoven; "A Journey to the Heart of Europe" with the music of Beethoven, Hugo Wolf, and Dvorak; and "Inspired Voices," featuring Haydn, Schubert and Tan Dun, the Chinese composer who wrote the score for the movie, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." In addition to Islesboro, Kennebunk, and Boothbay, the Quartet performs in South Bristol, Harpswell, Cape Porpoise, and Denmark.

In an unusual twist, during the last "Scandalous Music Festival" event, audience members will be asked to provide subjects to the Quartet for improvisations on a scandalous theme. The festival will begin on August 22 with the music of Benjamin Britten, Maurice Ravel and Arnold Schoenberg. The second program, on August 26, will include the music of Rogers and Hart, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schuman. And the festival will close on August 29 with the music of Astor Piazzola, Improvisations on a scandalous theme, and the String Sextet No. 2 in G Major, Op 36 by Brahms. Guest artists for the festival are Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, piano; Joshua Gordon, cello; Lila Brown, viola; and Karol Bennett, soprano.

Tickets for the performances are available on the DaPonte website, www.daponte.org or at the door. Tickets for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens concerts are available on www.mainegardens.org. For more information about these or other DSQ activities, call 529-4555.