About Friends of Chamber Music

Our mandate is to bring the highest calibre chamber music ensembles to Vancouver.

The musicians in these groups reveal the profound insights written into the scores of this most intimate form of music during every concert. They do this as intended by the composers, acting as living conduits in direct communication with us, their live audience. No recording can replace that experience!

Join us for this sensational 75th season, as we offer live concerts by seven string quartets (with one changing to a string quintet in one event), two piano trios, and a special group playing both music for four hands at the piano and piano trios. Given their wide-ranging repertoire, these groups offer a wide range of tonal colours, sure to satisfy both our long-standing supporters and our new audience members.

Season highlights include our final visit from our great friends the venerable Emerson String Quartet before they disband, joined after intermission by their initial cellist, Eric Wilson, who has been a stalwart music professor at UBC for decades. Together they will play one of the jewels of chamber music, Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C major. Over their 46-year history, we have gladly welcomed the Emerson Quartet for more than 30 concerts in Vancouver.

In addition, we welcome back audience favourites the Quartetto di Cremona, Takacs Quartet, Smetana Trio, Juilliard Quartet, Han Finckel Setzer Trio (with one current and one former member of the Emerson), Elias Quartet, and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. And new to us this season are the Calidore and Casals Quartets.

The mix of music and sonic styles heard in our concerts over the series will continue to delight and amaze our audience. We are excited to present a range of music from the Eighteenth Century to the present day, and composed by: Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Jörg Widmann, Franz Schubert, Dmitri Shostakovich, Samuel Barber, Igor Stravinsky, Wynton Marsalis, Johannes Brahms, Béla Bartók, Bedřich Smetana, Anton Arensky, Maurice Ravel, György Ligeti, and Bohislav Martinů.

Join us for concerts that will uplift the soul.

Sustaining Donations

Donations are essential to our survival as ticket sales only cover 70% of our costs. The difference is made up by contributions from generous subscribers. Yearly, one-time, and monthly donations can be made by clicking the Canada Helps button below. Tax receipts will be issued.

Donate Now ThroughCanadaHelps.org!

Musical instrument graphic
Top