Announcing the 2023-2024 Season
January 29, 2023
Welcome to CMS’s 2023–24 season, built on the theme of Legacy.
Musicians’ careers are finite, yet their work lives on well beyond their performances and recordings. They inspire and mentor artists still in their formative years, imparting a rich tradition while encouraging the development of individual artistry. This season, CMS celebrates the passing of the artistic torch not once, but twice, as two venerable string quartets cede the world’s stages to the next generation.
Our Winter Festival (February 27–March 10) presents four string quartets at the peak of their youthful powers, in all-quartet programs ranging from Bach to Britten. These performances constitute the season’s epicenter, which is preceded in the early fall by the farewell concert of the Emerson String Quartet and followed in the spring by the final concert of the Orion String Quartet. CMS could not be more honored to present this pair of historic performances, and to support them with the exciting future of quartet playing in the hands of the Calidore, Schumann, Cremona, and Escher Quartets.
The 2023–24 season offers a comprehensive view of chamber music. With over 80 composers and works spanning some 350 years, there is something for every chamber music listener. We are thrilled to showcase works of composers from the past who deserve to be heard more, such as Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Louise Farrenc, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Reynaldo Hahn, as well as living composers such as John Corigliano, William Bolcom, Gregg Kallor, Tan Dun, and Bruce Adolphe. Friends and colleagues Saint-Saëns and Fauré share a concert; and a Halloween program offers a chilling chamber experience. We also continue our tradition of presenting Bach’s Complete Brandenburg Concertos in December.
NEW THIS SEASON: CMS will present three performances on Saturday evenings, including the second concert of a pair of programs celebrating the art of Sergei Rachmaninov; Sacred and Profane, Debussy’s gorgeous tribute to the harp and Messiaen’s Blackbird, showing his fascination with bird calls; and the season conclusion with a glorious all-Mozart closing program on Saturday and Sunday.
We hope you will select your concerts early on, as we want each of you to join us for your favorite composers, performers, and repertoire. This will be a truly eventful season not to be missed.