National Chamber Music Month

Since 2011, May has been designated National Chamber Music Month—an annual celebration of small ensemble music that brings attention to its creativity, resilience, and stylistic breadth. Each year, we devote the month to highlighting the diverse accomplishments of our field, in an effort to build community and expand public recognition of the artform and its social impact. This year, we’re “Celebrating Small”—focusing on the unique joys and opportunities of the small ensemble format. “Our community—chamber music artists, presenters, managers, educators, and others—work tirelessly, and often thanklessly, to propel the field,” says CMA CEO Kevin Kwan Loucks. “May is a time to celebrate those efforts and recognize the successes. We hope you will join us in the revelry and let it energize your kick-off to summer.”

This year’s National Chamber Music Month is one of our most ambitious ever. Throughout the month, we’ll celebrate small ensemble music both online and in-person with a wide array of programming—and new perks.

Please note, some of these events are for CMA members only. Join Today!

Virtual Events

April 30: Members’ virtual meetup with Board Chair Bryan Young*
Hang in the Zoom room with fellow CMA members for a casual happy-hour or lunch-hour discussion led by CMA Board Chair Bryan Young. 

May 1, 7:00PM ET: CMA’s Annual Meeting 
Join us for CMA’s Annual Meeting to hear about ongoing and upcoming initiatives, programs, and more. Open to all. (Register here to attend)

May 2, 3:00PM ET: Webinar with Francie Ostrower, author of In Search of the Magic Bullet: Results from the Building Audiences for Sustainability Initiative, released by The Wallace Foundation
Dr. Ostrower will share the tactics used by 25 organizations to bolster audience expansion, retainment, and attendance—and examine the outcomes. Gain a better understanding of what worked and why, and what strategies surprisingly didn’t make an impact. (Register here to attend)

May 3: Women’s Leadership Group virtual meetup
Join CMA Board President Jennifer Grim for the next women’s leadership meeting over Zoom. 

May 7: Building Community + Sharing Your Value: Webinar with Maria Finkelmeier*
This online workshop, led by percussionist/entrepreneur Maria Finkelmeier offers new tools to market your musical practice and build your career and portfolio. This webinar is supported by New York Community Trust as part of CMA’s Ensemble Forward program.

In-person events

May 9, 6:00PM CT: Lift Every Voice Panel discussion in South Bend, IN
In partnership with Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, this is presented in conjunction with the organization’s Lift Every Voice concert, celebrating historically underrepresented voices in the chamber music world. The discussion, moderated by CMA’s Kevin Kwan Loucks, will take place before the award ceremony and concert and will be available to members to stream. Panelists will include lead administrators and educators from Indiana University and the University of Illinois. 

May 21, 2:30PM – 6:00PM ET: Champions of Chamber: CMA panel discussion and Members’ Mixer in NYC*
Join us for an enlightening afternoon of panel discussions and networking. At 2:30pm, three renowned presenters chat with members of elite ensembles about their ongoing partnerships and the works that propelled them. Then, at 4:00pm, two visionary curators talk with moderator Liz Player of The Harlem Chamber Players about their programmatic prowess and steadfast support of chamber musicians. 

May 30, 2:30PM CT: Panel discussion at MATCH in Houston, TX
This free and open-to-the-public discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the Houston chamber music community. Panelists will include flutist and CMA Board President Jennifer Grim as well as clarinetist Julian Hernandez, a Houston resident and founding member of WindSync, and Matthew Detrick of Houston-based Apollo Chamber Players. This event will be streamed at a later date.

*Open to CMA members only; check your emails for access!

Additional details for these events will be made public as they become available, and exclusive promotions and added membership perks will be shared via email. Sign up for our revamped Accent newsletter and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date.

Spread the Word on Social Media

All month, CMA will share member activities and projects on our social media channels.

Send your activities to CMANews@chambermusicamerica.org.

Tag your Instagram and Facebook posts about your May activities with #ChamberMusicMonth.

Follow CMA
Facebook: @chambermusicamerica
Instagram: @chambermusicamerica