The Santa Barbara Music Club’s next free concert is at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 11, in the austerely beautiful First Congregational Church (2101 State Street).

The breath-takingly accomplished Emergence String Quartet (Kerenza Peacock, Maya Magub, violins; Karen Long, viola; Virginia Kron, cello) will perform 10 short works by regional composers celebrating our paradisiacal natural setting.

As the Music Club puts it: “the quartet will interpret music that reflects the Sespe, examines the shoreline, listens to the trees, honors the bees, and shouts back at the birds.”

The participating composers and their works are David Campbell’s “21st Century Entanglements (2020),” Pauline Frechette’s “The Sacred Mountains of Ojai (2017),” Greg Haggard’ “Sespe Suite (2022),” Leslie Hogan’s “String Quartet No. 4 (2022),” Ashley Hoyer’s “Emergence (2021),” Raul Kottler’s “Fragment of a Nebula (2020),” Karen Goulding’s “A Hive for the Honeybee (2022),” Jim McCarthy’s “For All That’s Left (2022),” Laura Mihalka: Gibralter Road (2020),” and Kerenza Peacock’s “The Whispering Tree (2022).”

This concert and its program provides an all but perfect fulfilment of the Music Club’s mission: brilliant local musicians giving us glimpses of the natural world as experienced by the cream of our regional composers (I have heard the music of only one of the ten, Leslie Hogan, but I know her to be a fine composer, and her presence here vouches for the rest of them).

Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than to research and set forth profiles and detailed backgrounders on all ten, but time limitations preclude such an extensive undertaking. Besides, once we have heard the concert, we will be in a much better position to settle on the particular composers we want to know more about.

The Music Club makes the following statements about their current health and safety requirements:

“Until further notice, the following safety guidelines are in effect: Masks are required, and must cover both the nose and mouth. Bandanas, neck gaiters, masks with exhalation valves and shield‑like face coverings are not allowed. The Music Club will provide high quality N95 respirator masks if needed. Social distancing is required.”

Music Club President Eric Valinsky adds the following:

“Some people are questioning why we continue to require masking. The reason is that, no matter how hard we wish it to be otherwise, the epidemiologists still warn us that the pandemic is not over. Although fewer people are dying of COVID-19 outright, the virus still poses a deadly threat to those over 60, the immune compromised, and cancer patients. Younger people are dying from heart attacks and strokes that stem from arterial damage from repeated bouts of COVID. According to the epidemiologists, the best defense against all this continues to be masking with a good quality N95 respirator or equivalent.

“Remember, musicians, and especially wind musicians, cannot wear masks while they play, so it is our responsibility to protect them. We are counting on you to do the right thing in support of our community.

“Despite that glum note, we hope you enjoy the concert!”