Spektral Quartet commissioned a great deal of new music, and its programming often explored musical dialogues between contemporary works and traditional repertory. The group held major residences at the University of Chicago and other prestigious institutions.

Spektral Quartet (the group usually did not use the definite "the" article) was founded in 2010. During its time, it offered innovative concerts that bridged centuries, striving to create a charged, up-close concert atmosphere that was sometimes marked by interactive aspects. The group's founding members were violinists Aurelien Fort Pederzoli and Austin Wulliman, violist Doyle Armbrust, and cellist Russell Rolen. Spektral Quartet quickly experienced success, landing an ensemble-in-residence slot at the University of Chicago Department of Music in 2012 and releasing its debut album, Chambers, on the Parlour Tapes+ label the following year. It then moved to the Azica label, releasing From This Point Forward with contemporary accordionist Julien Labro and saxophonist Miguel Zenón. Clara Lyon replaced Pederzoli in 2014, and Theo Espy succeeded Wulliman in 2016 when he joined the JACK Quartet. The members of Spektral Quartet were named Chicagoans of the Year by the Chicago Tribune in 2017.

Spektral Quartet garnered considerable publicity for its 2014 Mobile Miniatures project, commissioning 40 composers for ringtone-length compositions; the intent was to more closely incorporate contemporary music into everyday life. The quartet remained in its University of Chicago post until 2020. It also held residencies at Stanford University, the New World Symphony, the University of Michigan University Musical Society concert series, and elsewhere. Spektral Quartet created the Feldman Foward Initiative to raise money for the GirlFoward Association, which assists refugee girls in Chicago and Austin.

The group appeared in such major venues as the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington, as well as the Tiny Desk Concerts on the U.S. National Public Radio network. The group is especially notable for the breadth of its commissions, which included works from more than 85 composers, including Anthony Cheung, Samuel Carl Adams, and Augusta Read Thomas. Some of those works appeared on Spektral Quartet recordings, along with more traditional repertory in innovative programs such as that of 2016's Serious Business, on the Sono Luminus label, which explored the concept of humor in works by Haydn, Dave Reminick, and Sky Macklay, and which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. Brahms, Schoenberg, Cheung, and other composers shared space on the group's 2020 album, Experiments in Living, on the New Focus Recordings label. The quartet returned to Sono Luminus in 2021 with the album Spektral Quartet Performs Anna Thorvaldsdottir. That year, the group announced that it was disbanding at the end of its 2021-2022 season, throwing a party for its final performance entitled No Regrets: A Celebration of All Things Spektral on June 12, 2022. Though the group has stopped performing, several outstanding projects were being completed with plans for future release. ~ James Manheim, Rovi