The DaPonte String Quartet is taking its final concert of the season on an extended road trip from May 31 to June 4. In a tour labeled DaPonte Downeast, the Quartet is doing brief residencies in rural towns in Maine that will consist of three library presentations for adults, school presentations for students from 10 schools and three evening concerts at local arts centers in the communities of Surry/Blue Hill, Milbridge/Steuben and Eastport.

The final stop also includes an inter-generational master class for string players in Eastport.

The library presentation is called Conversations with the Quartet, and is aimed at demystifying classical music by giving attendees a glimpse into how a quartet works and how to listen to a piece of music. The school presentation, called Happy Birthday x 10, teaches students about contrast, variation and repetition by playing the familiar tune in the style of different composers and genres. The evening concert is called Inside Job and consists of the personal favorites of DePone String Quartet violinist Dino Liva: quartets by Mozart, Respighi and Beethoven.

The DaPonte String Quartet moved to Maine from Philadelphia on a rural residency grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1995.

The tour was made possible in part by grants from the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Daponte Downeast schedule:

• May 31 - 10:30 a.m., school program, Blue Hill Consolidated School, with students from Surry School.

• May 31 - 7 p.m., "Conversations with the Quartet," Blue Hill Library, 5 Parker Point Road, Blue Hill. Info: 374-5515

• June 1 - 12:30 p.m., school program, Ella Lewis School, 15 Village Road, Steuben.

• June 1 - 7 p.m., Concert: "Inside Job," Surry Arts at the Barn, 8 Cross Road, Surry, suggested donation $15 at the door. Info: 667-1308.

• June 2 - 9:30 a.m., school program, Harrington Elementary, 1227 U.S. Highway 1A, Harrington, with students from Milbridge Elementary and DW Merrit.

• June 2 - 7 p.m., concert: "Inside Job," United Methodist Church, Main Street and Wyman Road, Milbridge, suggested donation $12, sponsored by Sunrise County Arts Institute. Info: 845-866-8488.

• June 3 - 10 a.m., school program, Eastport Elementary School, 100 High St., Eastport, with students from the Perry, Pembroke, and Beatrice Rafferty schools.

• June 3 - 1 p.m., "Conversations with the Quartet," Peavey Library, 26 Water St., Eastport. Info: 853-4021.

• June 4 - 9 a.m., inter-generational master class, Eastport Arts Center, 36 Washington St., Eastport. Info: 853-0823

• June 4 - 7 p.m., concert: "Inside Job," Eastport Arts Center, Eastport, tickets $12, under 18 free. Info: 853-4650.