Young quartet, “out of this world” performances and a local debut.

Advances in classical musical pedagogy, especially enhanced uses of technology and the refinement of teaching methodologies – along with a student pool commencing training at younger ages – has yielded a talent pool that leaves classical programmers with more choices than ever before.

Yet the best still manage to emerge, and this weekend one such young and talented foursome will make their first Monterey County visit.

To say that the Van Kuijk Quartet has rocketed to the top of ensembles in their age group is an understatement. In 2015 the ensemble won Best String Quartet and also Best Beethoven and Best Haydn performances at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet competition. The group has already visited many of the world’s most hallowed concert halls, to serious acclaim.

Their program choices in Carmel this weekend attest to the scope of this young ensemble’s vision, ranging from the romanticism of Schubert’s 10th string quartet to the hyper-modernism of György Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes) – a work which somehow makes atonality seem playful – before they complete the outing with Maurice Ravel’s highly melodic String Quartet in F Major (1903).

Amy Anderson, chair of Chamber Music Monterey Bay’s booking committee, recalls the “aha” moment upon first hearing the Van Kuijk.

“Pure musical excellence,” she says. “You don’t always know when you don’t hear it, but you immediately know it when you do hear it.

“Their musicality and moving, emotive interpretations were out of this world,” Anderson says. “They showed great control, incredible precision and superb communication between themselves far beyond their tender years.”

VAN KUIJK STRING QUARTET 7:30 pm Saturday, Oct 6. Sunset Center, San Carlos at Ninth, Carmel. 620-2040, sunsetcenter.org