Chamber Music Charleston (CMC) is delighted to unveil its landmark 2025-2026 season, celebrating two decades of exceptional chamber music performances in Charleston. This milestone season will feature a diverse array of programs that honor the past, celebrate the present, and embrace the future of chamber music, performed by both CMC’s core musicians and world-renowned guest artists.
The season launches with an extraordinary 20th Anniversary Opening Event, bringing together a unique gathering of guest artists, current and former CMC musicians, and distinguished alumni from the CMC TWO program. The concert opens with Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and culminates in the exhilarating Octet in E-flat Major by Felix Mendelssohn—a work of staggering genius, composed when Mendelssohn was just 16 years old, and revered as one of the greatest chamber music masterpieces ever written. In between, guest violinist Francisco Fullana will lead the ensemble for Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
Joy Strotz
Pitcairn
Throughout the season, audiences will be treated to an array of intimate and grand performances. Highlights include:
- In October, the legendary Elizabeth Pitcairn returns to Charleston with her iconic 1720 “Red Mendelssohn” Stradivarius for a magical afternoon of chamber music at the historic South Carolina Society Hall.
- November welcomes acclaimed pianist Michael Stephen Brown and violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti for a captivating program featuring Franz Lachner’s arrangement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 and Chausson’s Concert for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet—a work of breathtaking lyrical beauty and technical brilliance.
- In December, pianist Andrew Armstrong, violinist Stefan Jackiw, and clarinetist Yoonah Kim join forces for a special Salon Series concert, performing music by Mozart and Brahms.
- January brings an electrifying collaboration between violinist Geneva Lewis and pianist Phillip Bush, performing Bartók’s fiery Rhapsody No. 2, followed by Brahms’ powerful Piano Quintet, joined by CMC’s own Jenny Weiss, Ben Weiss, and Timothy O'Malley.
Juergen Frank
Setzer
- February features violinist Phillip Setzer, founding member of the celebrated Emerson String Quartet, joining the strings of CMC for Beethoven’s String Trio Op. 9 No. 3 and Mozart’s String Quintet No. 4, K. 516.
- In March, violinist Daniel Ching from the Miro Quartet and cellist Alan Rafferty from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra collaborate with the strings of CMC for a program featuring sextets by Mozart and Dvořák.
The season will conclude with a 20th Anniversary Gala Celebration at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and the Francis Marion Hotel, featuring a performance by the award-winning Isidore String Quartet. Winners of the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Isidore String Quartet has quickly risen to prominence on the world stage, captivating audiences across North America and Europe with their fresh interpretations and passionate performances. Their Charleston debut will include works by Haydn and Dvořák.
For a full season lineup and to purchase tickets, visit chambermusiccharleston.org.
