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Mission and History

One of the Chamber Music Society’s early artist rosters, (l. to r.) Charles Wadsworth, Charles Treger, Walter Trampler, Leslie Parnas, Paula Robison, Leonard Arner, Gervase de Peyer, Loren Glickman, Richard Goode.

MISSION

The mission of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is to serve the art form of chamber music at the highest level of artistic excellence.

Founded in 1969, CMS is the world’s largest producer and presenter of chamber music. One of eleven resident companies of Lincoln Center, CMS takes its place alongside other leading performing arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and New York City Ballet.

Under the artistic leadership of cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han since 2004, CMS's international and intergenerational artist roster of over 140 of the world’s finest chamber musicians present repertoire of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. Each season, CMS reaches a global audience with more than 150 performances and education programs in New York City and on tour worldwide. The Bowers Program, CMS's rigorous three-season residency for outstanding young artists in the early stages of major careers, provides unmatched mentorship and performance opportunities at Lincoln Center, on tour, and online to the future leaders of the art form.

In its commitment to building the chamber music repertoire, CMS has commissioned over 200 new works from an impressive array of composers, including Bruce Adolphe, Samuel Barber, Luciano Berio, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, George Crumb, Alberto Ginastera, John Harbison, Wynton Marsalis, Darius Milhaud, Tobias Picker, Joan Tower, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. CMS also supports the work of living composers by awarding the Elise L. Stoeger Prize, a $25,000 cash award given every other year to an outstanding composer of chamber music. Past recipients include Gunther Schuller, Oliver Knussen, Aaron Jan Kernis, Osvaldo Golijov, Thomas Adès, Kaija Saariaho, Chen Yi, Jörg Widmann, Brett Dean, and David Serkin Ludwig.

Through its touring and residency programs, CMS extends the vitality of its Lincoln Center stage to communities across the nation and abroad, presenting concerts, masterclasses, and educational activities that deepen engagement with chamber music and foster long-term partnerships. Nationwide residencies and touring performances—alongside international engagements in Asia, Europe, and South America—reflect CMS’s commitment to bringing chamber music of the highest quality to audiences everywhere.

CMS connects people of all ages with chamber music through a wide array of education and community engagement programs that support learning, participation, and long-term engagement. Each season, more than 15,000 students, families, and adults take part in programs shaped by close partnerships with public schools, community centers, cultural organizations, and neighborhood leaders across New York City. Learners experience chamber music through classroom residencies, teacher resources, field trip concerts, open rehearsals, lectures, masterclasses, and relaxed concerts for young children and neurodiverse audiences. This work supports growth from exposure to exploration, centers the needs of audience members, and reflects chamber music as a model of collaboration and shared expression.

From its very first concert in 1969—when CMS began recording performances for archival purposes—technology has played a vital role in how CMS preserves, shares, and enhances its programming. Today, the institution’s expansive digital presence reaches millions each year and includes no- and low-cost video recordings of season concerts, acclaimed album releases (including as the premiere chamber music partner for Apple Music Classical), broadcast partnerships, a free online archive of nearly 2,000 concerts, events, and lectures, as well as significant original educational content and vibrant social media channels that connect audiences worldwide.

HISTORY

  • 1969: Alice Tully Hall opens with the first performance of the newly founded Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center on September 11, 1969, under the leadership of President of Lincoln Center William Schuman, Chair Alice Tully, and Founding Artistic Director Charles Wadsworth.
  • 1969: CMS commissions new works by composers Darius Milhaud, Michael Colgrass, and Carlos Chávez, beginning a long tradition of supporting the chamber music repertoire’s growth.
  • 1971: CMS presents its first ever touring program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
  • 1984: The first annual Young Musicians Concert is held in Alice Tully Hall, offering talented high school student musicians from the tri-state area the opportunity to perform in a world-class venue and learn from CMS artists.
  • 1987: The inaugural Elise L. Stoeger Prize is awarded to American composer and conductor Gunther Schuller in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the field of chamber music composition.
  • 1987: CMS opens the Daniel S. and Joanna Rose Studio to provide an intimate venue for performances.
  • 1989: CMS appoints cellist Fred Sherry as Artistic Director.
  • 1992: In a landmark season for contemporary music, CMS commissions seven new works by composers Dan Coleman, Richard Danielpour, Eun-Kyung Kim, Eric Samuelson, David Schiff, Gian Andrea Tabacchi, and Naoyuki Takano.
  • 1993: CMS appoints clarinetist David Shifrin as Artistic Director.
  • 1993: In December, CMS presents the complete Brandenburg Concerto cycle at Alice Tully Hall for the first time, marking the beginning of an ongoing decades-long holiday tradition.
  • 1994: The CMS Two program is founded to nourish early-career chamber musicians through a rigorous residency.
  • 2004: CMS appoints cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han as Co-Artistic Directors.
  • 2007: CMS launches its first ever in-house recording label, CMS Studio Recordings, with a mission to capture selected CMS performances using the latest audiophile technology.
  • 2009: The newly renovated Alice Tully Hall opens to the public after an extensive remodel and acoustic upgrade by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
  • 2010: The first livestream airs from the Rose Studio, marking an important milestone in the vibrant digital media history of CMS.
  • 2013: The inaugural Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music is presented to Menahem Pressler, founder and pianist of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio for fifty-three seasons.
  • 2014: For the first time, CMS records video of all season performances in Alice Tully Hall, adding a video archive alongside an already impressive audio archive of all CMS concerts since the organization’s founding.
  • 2018: Philanthropist Ann S. Bowers endows CMS Two with a gift of $5 million to sustain the program in perpetuity, and the residency is renamed the Bowers Program in recognition of her enormous contribution to the art form of chamber music.
  • 2019: CMS celebrates its 50th anniversary season with the special exhibition Chamber Music Society at 50 at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts highlighting the rich history of the organization and the genre of chamber music from 1650 to the present day.
  • 2020: After cancelling the in-person concert season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS pivots to an entirely digital season, presented as CMS Front Row, and raises over half a million dollars through the Musicians Fund to support artists as they face cancelled concerts and challenging times.
  • 2021: After many years of generous support, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation increases its investment in CMS and becomes a season sponsor with a leadership gift.
  • 2021: Continuing Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser’s long legacy of philanthropic giving to the media program at CMS, the Hauser Foundation establishes The Hauser Fund for Media & Technology with a gift of $5 million to support CMS’s digital programming. In the present day, the Hauser Fund continues to expand access to CMS’s world-class chamber music performances beyond the concert hall.
  • 2023: After 44 seasons comprising thousands of concerts on multiple continents, the esteemed Emerson String Quartet plays their final concert as an ensemble from the CMS stage.
  • 2023: In partnership with local presenting venues in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, CMS launches the Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel Community Concert Series to bring free chamber music performances from CMS’s mainstage season to audiences across New York City.
  • 2024: CMS presents the farewell performance of the Orion String Quartet, solidifying the ensemble’s enduring impact on the world of classical music.
  • PRESENT: Today, as the world’s leading producer and presenter of chamber music, CMS remains committed to our mission and the values of the art form, fostering connection, collaboration, and artistic excellence in all that we do.