Front Row Series Overview

CMS Front Row was created to sustain audiences and provide a new way to experience this beautiful art form in a meaningful and innovative way, from the virtual “Front Row,” in the comfort and safety of listeners’ homes. Education Events stream on Monday evenings and Concerts on Thursdays at 7:30 PM ET. Explore the events in this series below.

Subscription Packages:

This season we're offering subscription packages for International Quartet Series and Inside Chamber Music. Click above to learn more!

Front Row Mainstage:

The Mainstage Series gives audiences a chance to hear anew performances from the vast CMS archive, in concerts that often mix ensembles and repertoire in a way that would be daunting, if not impossible, to do live in the concert hall. The concerts in this series also include newly-recorded intermission chats with one or more of the artists on each program.

Each concert in the Artist Series delves into the work of a particular artist, beginning with a newly-created short documentary film that provide an intimate and informative window into the life of the featured artist, followed by performances drawn from the CMS archive.
Streaming Thursdays at 7:30 PM ET

Premiere: International Quartets Series:

CMS’s newest initiative includes full-length live and newly recorded concerts by renowned international quartets. The full events will remain available to watch on demand for one week after their initial broadcast.
Streaming Thursdays at 7:30 PM ET. Viewing passes are $25 for these events. Please click above to purchase.

New Music:

CMS’s two music series devoted to contemporary composers and their work, New Milestones and Composers in Focus:
Primarily a concert experience, supplemented with informational material to provide context, the New Milestones series explores and unpacks the work of a wide-ranging selection of international composers. Events will remain available to watch on demand for one week after their initial broadcast.
Streaming Thursdays at 7:30 PM ET

Composers in Focus offers audiences a rare opportunity to sit in on intimate conversations between composers and musicians who know each other’s work, and in some cases have known each other for decades. The webinar-style presentations will include live, real-time conversations with composers as well as pre-recorded performances of their music.
Streaming Mondays at 6:30 PM ET

Musical Heritage:

Explore the musical legacies of towering figures in classical music through conversations with students and colleagues along with film clips and historical photos. This unique webinar series is streamed for free, and each episode is available on-demand on the CMS website the Friday of the week following its premiere.
Free admission with required Zoom registration. Streaming Mondays at 7:30 PM ET

The Art of Interpretation:

This series combines discussion and performance elements, delving into great works from the perspective of the musicians. The series reveals how artists arrive at their interpretations of specific musical passages and give audiences a sense of the artists’ process as they prepare to perform a piece of music.
Streaming Mondays at 7:30 PM ET

Inside Chamber Music:

Featuring composer, radio personality and CMS Resident Lecturer Bruce Adolphe, Inside Chamber Music is a popular, long-running CMS lecture-and-performance series that explores the chamber music repertoire and provides audiences with new insights on beloved masterworks.
Streaming Mondays at 7:30 PM ET. Viewing passes are $15 for these events and each event will remain available for on demand viewing for one week. Please click above to purchase.

Inspector Pulse@Home:

Inspector Pulse, the world’s greatest and only “Private Ear” (aka Bruce Adolphe, CMS’s Resident Lecturer and Director of Family Programs) unlocks the mysteries and joys of music-making, exploring music fundamentals -- meter, scales, harmony, inspiration - through funny stories, puns, and a bit of mayhem.
Streaming Fridays at 11:00 AM ET on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube and will then be available for on demand viewing on the CMS website.