Haydn Seek

Do the words chamber music have to evoke stuffy 18th-century affairs attended by elites decked out in wigs, corsets and lead-based makeup? The Chiara String Quartet (motto: "Chamber music in any chamber") wants to cultivate classical music lovers wherever it goes. And it's willing to go nearly anywhere — bars, schools, churches, hospitals, galleries, even a trailer in the middle of a North Dakota beet field. The big three — Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven — get time in the group's set lists, but so do brand-new works by cutting-edge composers. And in a show at The Brick last March, the quartet undertook a surreal version of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." Tonight, Chiara performs for free at 7 p.m. at the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence (701 Massachusetts). Call 785-749-5011 for details.

Tue., Jan. 22, 7 p.m., 2008