The 8th season of the International Chamber Music drew to a close last June with a stunning performance by the Borodin String Quartet, performing Shostakovich's final Quartet by candle-light to a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall. In fact, average ticket sales for the 97/98 season were up to a whopping 77% (from 65% in 96/97). And it's not just the size of our audience which is impressive - the artists performing on the series continue to say what a fantastic public we have; one of the most concentrated, quiet and appreciative in the world! "A stunning event, rapturously received by the audience, who cheered them to the rafters, refusing to let them go after it was over." (The Guardian, reviewing the Vienna String Sextet) The 98/99 season opened with the Guarneri String Quartet, celebrating its 35th anniversary season and the longest continuing artistic collaboration of any quartet.