String Quartet is John Adams's second full-sized work for the medium and his first without electronics. His first string quartet, John's Book Alleged Dances (1994), was composed for the Kronos Quartet and is accompanied by pre-recorded CD, and his second string quartet, Fellow Traveler (2007), is a five-minute piece written for Peter Sellars's birthday. It was a stunning St. Lawrence String Quartet peformance of Alleged Dances at Stanford University in 2007 that inspired Mr. Adams to compose a piece for them, leading to the world premiere at The Juilliard School and a subsequent tour. String Quartet was commissioned by The Juilliard School with the generous support of the Trust of Francis Goelet, Stanford Lively Arts Stanford University, and The Banff Centre.