New England Celtic Arts in partnership with The Franco-American Heritage Center will present The Folk Arts Quartet at The Franco-American Heritage Center in Lewiston on Tuesday, Nov.10; at Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center in South Carthage on Wednesday, Nov. 11; and at Unity College PAC on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The Folk Arts Quartet combines folk styles from the fiddle world with the heritage of the classical string quartet. The result is a new hybrid genre, “ChamberGrass.” As the four young women of FAQ pioneer this style they are gaining recognition for their musicianship and innovation.

The members of the Folk Arts Quartet met while studying at the Berklee College of Music. Although they were classically trained, they all have extensive experience in folk styles. Hailing from Scotland, Canada and the United States, they each have distinct musical styles. The FAQ has had the honor of being mentored by some of the best contemporary string players around, including Matt Glaser, Natalie Haas, Eugene Friesen and John McGann.

The Folk Arts Quartet arranges traditional tunes and original compositions using an array of techniques and ideas-some they’ve learned from Classical string quartet pieces, others from folk bands, and others they’ve invented on their own. With the addition of the occasional beautiful song or energetic step dance, their groovy, contemporary style nods to their many influences and breathes new life into folk and chamber music.

Edinburgh, Scotland native Hannah Read is a fiddler and vocalist whose style blends Scottish folk with jazz, soul, and world music. Julie Metcalf has specialized in classical violin, which she went on to study at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts, though soon she discovered a passion for folk, jazz, Celtic, Latin, and other contemporary styles. Mariel Vandersteel grew up in the rich musical scene in the San Francisco Bay area, performing and touring with Alasdair Fraser and the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, and the Black Brothers (the brothers of Frances and Mary Black), while she immersed herself in the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland. The child of two Scottish emigrants, Emma Beaton learned to play the cello amongst seas of fiddlers under Alasdair Fraser’s San Francisco Scottish fiddlers and at music camps around the US, forcing her to develop her own style of folk cello, adapting dance tunes for the instrument and conjuring up her own rhythmic accompaniment style to suit the fiddle repertoire.

General admission tickets for the Franco Center are $10 and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 207-689-2000, online at francoamericanheritage.org or at the door; and for Skye Theatre, call for tickets at 207-562-4445. At Unity College Performing Arts Centers, tickets are $11 online and $10 at the door.

There is a pre-show jam at 6:15 p.m. at FAHC and at Skye. Audience members are encouraged to bring their instruments and ‘jam’ for a few minutes with the artists. Tickets for jammers 18 and under are $5. Curtain is at 7 p.m. at the Franco Center.