The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) has released the event and concert lineup for the month of March. As they celebrate their 50th anniversary season, CMS is introducing programs that are a mixture of both new works and traditional pieces, pulling from various eras of chamber music. 

Here are the highlights for this month’s events: 

CMS Kids: Who is Brahms? 

Curated for ages 3-6, this Chamber Music Society (CMS) Kids event will cover one of the greatest composers of classical music, Johannes Brahms. This event will be on Sunday, March 1st at 11 AM and 3 PM. 

Featuring host Rami Vamos and selected CMS artists, this program will show how Brahms, who was not always sure about his work as a composer, but eventually gained confidence and left the world with a legacy of spectacular music. This special CMS Kids program is an inclusive concert experience adapted for neurodiverse audiences, including children with autism or other special needs. These performances are presented in a judgement-free environment, and are less formal and more supportive of sensory, communication, movement, and learning needs. 

All children and adults must have tickets to attend this event.

1842: Schumann’s Piano Quintet 

Robert Schumann, in one of music’s most astonishingly creative outbursts, composed six major chamber works between June and December, 1842. His Piano Quintet established the genre as no work had before, becoming an instant classic and paving the way for the immortal quintets by such composers as Brahms, Fauré, and Shostakovich.

Quartet in E-flat major for Piano, Two Violins, Viola and Cello, Op. 44, the first piano quartet combined with strings, comes to the Alice Tully Hall this March. Other works on the program include pieces by Mozart, Schubert, Chausson and the premier of IF for Soprano and Ensemble by composer John Harbison. IF is an English translation of the original text by poet Friedrich Hölderlin. There will be a pre-concert talk given by Harbison to discuss the new work, which is free to all ticket-holders.

The concert is Sunday, March 8th at 5 PM at the Alice Tully Hall. 

NEW MILESTONES: Expanded Pitches: Schoenberg’s String Trio 

NEW MILESTONES, a series inaugurated in this 50th anniversary season, focuses on music of the 20th and 21st centuries that set the stage for the music of the future. For example, Arnold Schoenberg was a pioneer who unlocked tremendous potential in the use of tones. His late Trio for Strings maintains a strong sense of tradition, formally speaking, while using innovative intervallic relationships that generate raw energy. It will be joined by the world premiere of a new work by Alexandra Du Bois, Heron. Rain. Blossom.

During this season of milestones, CMS looks to works in the past century that have set the stage for composers today. These prophetic voices have pioneered innovations that have changed the current musical landscape, fascinating listeners and sparking curiosity.

This event will be on Thursday, March 12th at 7:30 PM at the Rose Studio. 

1937: Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion

A feast for the eyes and ears, Bartók’s ingenious creation stands alone in the chamber music literature, an astonishing synthesis of percussion and keyboard. Also featured on the program are two more milestones: Dohnányi’s delectable Serenade, the 20th century’s first string trio, and Tchaikovsky’s String Sextet plus ultra, “Souvenir de Florence.”

The concert is on Sunday, March 15th at 5 PM at the Alice Tully Hall.

1940: Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time 

A mystical depiction of the apocalypse through the eyes of the composer, Oliver Messiaen. It was composed while the he was interred in a concentration camp during World War II, the piece premiered in the camp to an audience of more than 3,000 prisoners and soldiers. The Quartet remains an emotional and intense experience. Also on the program are works by Brahms and Stravinksy.

Don’t miss this concert on Friday, March 20th at 7:30 PM at the Alice Tully Hall!

The Art of the Recital: Sean Lee & Peter Dugan

To this day, Paganini’s Twenty-Four Caprices represent the Mount Everest of violin technique. Violinist Lee, in a rarely seen feat of virtuosity, performs the entire cycle, with pianist Dugan offering accompaniments composed by Robert Schumann.

This event will be on Thursday, March 26th at 7:30 PM at the Rose Theater.

1793: Beethoven’s Piano Trio, Op. 1, No. 1

Composed to help launch a major career in Vienna, Beethoven’s three Op. 1 piano trios are true milestones in the chamber literature. That Beethoven chose the piano trio to show his personality and skill speaks volumes of the stature of chamber music in the Classical age, and Beethoven did not disappoint: his first three trios earned him enough to pay his bills for almost three years. 

Debussy’s charming Petite Suite for Piano, Four Hands leads to the audacious, show-stopping chamber concerto of Chausson.

The concert will be on Sunday, March 29th at 5 PM at the Alice Tully Hall. 

Remember to always check out the CMS event calendar to see upcoming programs and concerts!

Explore More