It is rare to find one that has formed; it’s then infinitesimally rare to find one that prospers. What sounds mysteriously like the ongoing search for life on other planets is also the reality faced by musicians who come together hoping to forge a successful string quartet. Introducing the Soto String Quartet, an ensemble comprised of four Chicago-based Venezuelan string players who have embarked upon this venerated path: violinists Jesús Linárez and Gabriela Lara (both age 22), violist Pedro Pablo Mendez (age 26), and cellist Lidanys Graterol (age 20). All four are Affiliate Artists at the city’s Guarneri Hall and are coached and mentored by its Artistic Director, Stefan Hersh. The quartet, named after Venezuelan artist and sculptor Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005), began playing together in September 2021.