River Arts is pleased to announce the first concert in an exciting, year-long series, coordinated by Dino Liva, of the DaPonte String Quartet on Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at River Arts.

Carol Preston, violin teacher and concertmaster of the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra in Brunswick, will present students from her class. The 40-minute performance will include seven young violists playing 10 pieces. They will be accompanied by Jennifer McIvor on piano and guitar.

The performance is free and open to the public.

Preston teaches violin using the Suzuki Method of instruction, having maintained private Suzuki studios for 28 years in the Washington, D.C., area and now in Damariscotta. Preston holds a bachelor of music degree in violin performance from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, and a master’s degree in music from the University of Iowa.

In the Washington area, she was concert master of the McLean Symphony Orchestra, played in the MacBeth String Quartet, and was a regular orchestra member of the Washington Savoyards. She is a member of the Maine Pro Musica orchestra and teaches music at Nobleboro Central School.

River Arts is located at 241 U.S. Route 1 in Damariscotta. For more information, visit www.riverartsme.org.