Cleveland CMS presents Jerusalem Quartet

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The Cleveland Chamber Music Society celebrates 75 years of concerts

Jerusalem Quartet to perform all 15 string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich over five nights, April 21-30 at Cleveland Museum of Art

First time this historic cycle by Shostakovich is performed in Cleveland

Coming up February 11: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society is celebrating 75 years of presenting world-class chamber music. In April, the organization presents the Jerusalem Quartet performing the complete Shostakovich string quartet cycle. The performances will take place over five nights on April 21, 22, 23, 29 & 30 at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

This historic cycle has never before been performed in Cleveland. "We're honored to present such an incredible body of work for the first time in the region," said CCMS board president Fern Jennings. "We're excited for audiences to hear these fifteen fantastic string quartets, performed by the world-class Jerusalem Quartet, and we're delighted to collaborate with the Cleveland Museum of Art for these performances."

Shostakovich wrote the first quartet when he was 33, and was on his deathbed as he composed the final quartet. Taken together, these works demonstrate the arc of Shostakovich's career, and Russian history, from Stalin to Brezhnev. Each concert features three quartets, and a pre-concert lecture by James Wilding will be available for ticket holders at 6:30 pm each evening.

Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the Jerusalem Quartet is a regular and beloved guest on the world’s great concert stages. Recent appearances include a Beethoven quartet cycle at Wigmore Hall in London; a Bartok cycle at the Salzburg Festival; their annual String Quartet seminar in Crans Montana Switzerland, and a residency at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. 

Coming up on February 11, CCMS presents Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with guitarist Jason Vieaux. The "Spanish Journey" program features works by De Falla, Saraste, Albéniz, and others. In addition to guest guitarist Jason Vieaux, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center features pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, violinist Kristin Lee, soprano Vanessa Becerra, and cellist Clive Greensmith.

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old), with subscriptions and package-deals available starting at $60.

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center comes to Cleveland

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Cleveland Chamber Music Society presents Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with world-renowned artists, including guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux

February 11 program "Spanish Journey" includes music by de Falla, Rodrigo, and Albeniz

Coming up April 21-30: Jerusalem Quartet gives an unprecedented performance of all 15 string quartets by Shostakovich at Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland Chamber Music Society invites audiences to spend a musical evening in Spain. On February 11 at 7:30 pm, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center - pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, violinist Kristin Lee, soprano Vanessa Becerra, cellist Clive Greensmith and guitar virtuoso Jason Vieaux - perform their "Spanish Journey" program.

Several of the performers have Ohio connections: Kristin Lee and Soyeon Kate Lee are on faculty at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the Grammy Award-winner Jason Vieaux was born and raised in Cleveland.

The concert features the enchanting colors, rhythms and textures of Spain. Violinist Kristin Lee created this imaginative program with music spanning from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. The distinctive Spanish style is beautifully expressed in piano trios of Falla and Turina, songs by Sarasate, Rodrigo, and Obradors, and the guitar, an instrument deeply associated with Spain.

Tickets for the February 11, 7:30 pm concert at The Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Church in Cleveland Heights (3663 Mayfield Rd) are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old). A pre-concert talk by Emily Laurance will take place at 6:30 p.m.

Not to be missed! CCMS's 75th anniversary season ends on a highlight: a rare performance of all 15 Shostakovich string quartets by the Jerusalem Quartet. This is the first time the complete cycle has ever been performed in Cleveland. Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the world-renowned Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's string quartets at the Cleveland Museum of Art in five concerts April 21-30.

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society has been bringing the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. It all started when a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and some of his colleagues persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.

Calendar Listing

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 7:30 pm

Cleveland Chamber Music Society in collaboration with the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society presents

"Spanish Journey" with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Jason Vieaux, guitar; Soyeon Kate Lee, piano; Kristin Lee, violin; Vanessa Becerra, soprano; Clive Greensmith, cello

The Cultural Arts Center at Disciples Church 

3663 Mayfield Rd Cleveland Heights, OH 44121

Single tickets are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old, available now by phone (216) 291-2777 and online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org

PROGRAM
Fernando Obradors: Canciones Espanolas
Isaac Albéniz: Mallorca
Enrique Fernández Arbós: Three Original Pieces in Spanish Style
Manuel de Falla: Suite Populaire Espagnole
Pablo Sarasate: Romanza Andaluza
Joaquín Rodrigo: Tres Canciones
Joaquín Turina: Piano Trio No. 2 in b minor, op. 76

Cleveland Chamber Music Society featured in The Land.

The Cleveland Orchestra isn’t the only organization in Northeast Ohio that’s been making great music for decades.  

Just a few miles east of Severance Music Center, a much smaller but no less determined organization has also been serenading citizens for a long, long time, and attracting committed followers. 

That group? The Cleveland Chamber Music Society (CCMS). 

Once an occasional performance presented by a small band of friends, the series has grown into a pillar of classical music in Cleveland. Indeed, the season now starting marks the group’s 75th anniversary, making it one of the region’s longest enduring musical organizations. 

Read the full article in The Land. here.

Cleveland CMS Announces 75th Anniversary Season

View full press release here

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society Celebrates 75th Anniversary

2024-25 season highlights include the complete Shostakovich string quartets played by Jerusalem Quartet - a rare performance of the entire cycle

Season also includes Grammy winners Imani Winds, Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieaux with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and flutist Emmanuel Pahud

In 1949, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine wanted to be able to experience the kind of first rate chamber ensembles he was used to hearing back home in New York. He, along with some of his medical school colleagues, persuaded the venerable Budapest Quartet to perform three concerts in Cleveland. The wildly enthusiastic audience response set the stage for the founding of the Cleveland Chamber Music Society the following year. 

The 2024-25 season marks Cleveland Chamber Music Society's 75th anniversary. "As one of the most established concert presenters in Cleveland we're so proud to be able to bring these world renowned artists from across the globe to our city. For three quarters of a century our audiences have enjoyed performances by artists like Chanticleer, guitarist Jason Vieux, and the Jerusalem Quartet," says CCMS board chair Fern Jennings. "I'm so thrilled for this upcoming season."

A rare performance of all 15 Shostakovich string quartets by the Jerusalem Quartet is the highlight of the season. It is likely the first time the complete cycle has been performed in Cleveland. Praised by BBC Magazine as "an absolute triumph," the world-renowned Jerusalem Quartet performs Shostakovich's string quartets at the Cleveland Museum of Art in five concerts April 21-30, 2025.

Cleveland CMS season also includes performances by Chanticleer (September 24), Imani Winds with Michelle Cann (October 14) Cuarteto Casals (November 12), flutist Emmanuel Pahud (January 21), and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with guitarist Jason Vieaux (February 11). Complete programs and details are below.

Tickets are available online at ClevelandChamberMusic.org or by phone at (216) 291-2777. Subscriptions from $120, single tickets* are $40 for adults ($35 seniors, $5 students/anyone under 19 years old).

About Cleveland Chamber Music Society

The Cleveland Chamber Music Society brings the top performers from around the world to intimate venues in Cleveland since 1949. CCMS highlights its 75th anniversary in the 2024-2025 season with the internationally renowned Jerusalem Quartet’s complete cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s string quartets. Other highlights in this special season include the Grammy-award winning Imani Winds, vocal ensemble Chanticleer and guitarist Jason Vieaux with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Beyond the concert stage, the CCMS’s guest artists give master classes at conservatories in Northeast Ohio that are open to the public.