The String Quartet No. 10 was written in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the Bowdoin International Summer Music Festival and is dedicated to the Cassatt Quartet who premiered the work during the 50th anniversary celebration in July 2014. The work was written with a generous grant from the Fromm Music Foundation.

The 10th String Quartet is in one continuous movement but divided into four sections. The first section is a slow introduction which presents the basic harmonic material of the entire work. This is suddenly interrupted by a very agitated movement forming a great contrast to the calm of the beginning. This rhythmic drive comes to a stop and is relieved by the third section which is a variation of the beginning, but is a bit longer and more developed. This is followed by the final section which again captures the agitation of the second section and brings the work to a wild and most aggressive end.

—Samuel Adler