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World Class MusicSince its beginnings in 1971, the society has presented concerts featuring world-class artists, presenting chamber music works - from well-known favorites, to premiere modern works by new composers.
Our 54 YEARS OF PERFORMANCES afford us the opportunity to make classical music a truly integral part of Island life. |
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The Boston-based Rasa String Quartet spent three full days in Martha's Vineyard schools teaching, coaching, and inspiring the next generation of musicians.
This was our eighth year of providing an annual AIR for the benefit of the island schools. We are grateful to the West Chop Community Fund and The Martha's Vineyard Community Foundation for their support of this signature program. About the Rasa String Quartet The Quartet explores the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another. They are winners of the 2022 AEMC Competition in Italy, the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and were the 2022-23 ensemble in residence at Phillips Exeter Academy. Notable performances include the 2023 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Celebrity Series of Boston, Rockport Music, and the highlands Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, among others. The quartet can be found collaborating with the preeminent folk musicians of today, performing at venues and festivals around the country, and participating in artistic and educational residencies at various institutions. By exploring the connection between music and storytelling at the heart of folk traditions, Rasa String Quartet delivers fresh, engaging performances that blend classical elegance with folk whimsy, celebrate global traditions, and elevate lesser-known composers. |
In March we welcomed The Thalea String Quartet for our annual Artist in Residence in the public schools. The Quartet are Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and have been celebrated for their "innovative approach to education and community engagement.”
The quartet will bring their unique style and strong education background to Martha’s Vineyard for a week of teaching, coaching ensembles, and playing music with up to two hundred island string players. This week-long event, originally funded by a grant from MVYouth, will be the 6th consecutive year that The Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society has engaged a professional ensemble to teach our island students. The MVCMS is grateful to The Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation, The Peter and Elizabeth Tower Foundation, and Rockland Trust Bank for their generous support of this year’s Artist in Residence. Link to Additional Resource |
Thalea String Quartet in Concert
Friday, March 22nd, 3:30PM Location: West Tisbury Free Public Library Free admission To conclude the annual Artist In Residence program in which the Thalea String Quartet spent a week teaching our Island schoolchildren, the Chamber Music Society presents a concert at the library. This exciting ensemble brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to a dynamic performance that reflects the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world. Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. Program Carrot Revolution - Gabriella Smith (b. 1991) Something Golden - Andrew Yee (b. TBC) Quartet No. 53 in D ("The Lark"), Op. 64 No. 5 - Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) |
Cape Cod Chamber Quartet 2023
Beethoven's "Harp Quartet" Shelley Washington "Middleground" Performed Friday, October 27, 2023 West Tisbury Congregational Church Click here to see musician and program information |
Eunghee Cho & Jung-A Bang
Celebrating Rachmaninoff's 150th Piano & Cello Sonata G minor Performed Saturday, November 11, 2023 West Tisbury Congregational Church Click here to see musician and program information |
Trio Gaia
Johannes Brahms Clara Schumann Piano, Violin, Cello Performed Sunday, November 19, 2023 Edgartown Library Click here to see musican and program information |
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MVCMS celebrated 50 seasons
and six concerts in 2021. Our 2021 season was highlighted on August 15th by luminary chamber musicians (see photos and bios below) gathering in concert at the Whaling Church in Edgartown, Massachusetts to honor the musical excellence, heart, vision, and devotion of Delores Stevens, a visionary who had offered the gift of chamber music to Martha’s Vineyard for nearly a half-century. Read below about the musicians, the music and our beginnings.
How it Started… It began in the Chilmark home of Eleanor Piacenza and Caroline Worthington. Cellist Caroline, clarinetist John Gates, and pianist Delores Stevens - the Montagana Trio - were rehearsing for an upcoming European tour when it occurred to them that they'd love to play concerts on the Vineyard. They continued to play four concerts each summer as a trio and then began to invite their professional music friends to join them on the Vineyard and perform with them. This became the annual summer concert festival known as "The Chilmark Chamber Players" and eventually "The Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society," with Caroline and Delores as co-artistic directors until 2002. From 2002 until 2019 Delores Stevens continued as the sole artistic director. In the words of Nora Nevin, past President of the MVCMS and long-time board member, “Despite Caroline Worthington’s departure in 2002, the sweet airs did not fade. Our constant, the pole star, the steady but driving force has been our pianist Delores Stevens. Through changes in artists and boards, Dee remained in charge, assembling every summer a crew of musicians, some new, many familiar, all world class.” Amongst many other accolades, Delores is recognized as a leading piano soloist, chamber musician, and music educator throughout the United States and the world. Her consistent support of contemporary composers, including numerous commissions have led to a prestigious award from the National Association of Composers, the Presidential Award of Merit from the International Music Fraternity of Mu Phi Epsilon, and the prestigious Living Legends Award from the Young Musicians Foundation presented to her by the legendary composer John Williams. |
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August 15, 2021: The Musicians
Please join MVCMS and the following remarkable musicians and friends to celebrate the remarkable life and work of Delores (Dee) Stevens. Stephanie Chase, Violin Melissa White, Violin Scott Woolweaver, Viola Noah Fields , Viola Scott Kluksdahl, Cello Paul Stevens, French Horn To read more about the musicians please click here. |
August 15, 2021: The Music
Prologue and Epilogue from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943) by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) This haunting and beautiful music opens this 50th celebration.The music is brief, but nonetheless carries performer and audience on an epic journey, bringing at last a peaceful finality. A selection of Unaccompanied Bach for Strings “The passionate and penetrating energy, the inner fire and warmth which often grew to be painful in its intensity in the violin works, is here softened down to a quieter beauty and a generally serene grandeur, as was to be expected from the deeper pitch and fuller tone of the cello.” Phillipp Spitta Terzetto for String Trio, op. 74 (1887) in C by Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) Terzetto literally translates to a trio for “three voices”, and the vocal qualities are immediately apparent in these gorgeous singing melodies. Dvorak was uniquely able to coax human quality from his strings, only the fact they do not breathe betrays them. Quintet for Horn and Strings, K. 407 (1782) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) The greatest piece of chamber music featuring horn outside of the Brahms Horn Trio. Mozart wrote this piece for a hornist turned cheesemonger named Joseph Ignaz Leutge....This quintet, arguably the most acrobatic, was to take full advantage of the hornist at the height of his skills. |
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CELEBRATE MUSIC
The Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society produces chamber music concerts and promotes an appreciation of classical and contemporary music on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The Summer Evening Concerts and our Education Programs including Instrument Loans, Lesson Scholarships, Artist in Residence, and Project Cello, all depend on generous donors and grant funders. Your donation is greatly appreciated and will help us fulfill our mission. |
