The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center(CMS)announces the second season of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Initiative for Music and Community Engagement, part of a two-year pilot program to bring CMS’s exceptional chamber music concerts, educational programming and world-renowned artists—for free—to under-resourced communities in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.  

The Diamonstein-Spielvogel Initiative for Music and Community Engagement is excited to expand its programming this season to five concerts, up from three last year. This year, the programs (identical to performances being presented at Alice Tully Hall, with the same repertoire and artists) will highlight the Calidore String Quartet, recognized as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of a vast chamber music repertory, and the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. Across the season at CMS, the Quartet will be performing the complete cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets—a monumental undertaking. As a part of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Initiative, the Quartet will bring nine of the sixteen quartets, widely regarded as exceptional masterpieces of the chamber music repertoire, to audiences in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Audiences this season will have the opportunity to experience full length, complete concert programs, expanded from the excerpted programs presented last year. At select concerts, attendees can look forward to engaging pre- and post-concert talks with the musicians.Additionally, the series is excited to reach new audiences this season at three new venues: the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture in the Bronx, the Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center in Brooklyn, and the Stone Circle Theatre in Queens.

“Bringing the experience of world-class chamber music performances to broader communities is central to our mission. We were thrilled by the reception last season and are delighted to offer the same sophisticated programming we offer at Lincoln Center directly to audiences in their own neighborhoods,” said Suzanne Davidson, Executive Director of CMS. “We’re very grateful to the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation for making it possible to realize this dream and build upon our work from last season.” 

Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Chair of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation, said, “This initiative is part of the long-term commitment of the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation to provide first-rate artistic experiences to diverse and under-served communities throughout the five boroughs.  We are pleased to continue to support CMS in building this world-class community outreach programming in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.”

Beethoven’s Early Quartets
Friday, October 11, 2024, 7:00 pm
Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture
Hostos Community College
450 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451
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Join the Calidore String Quartet as they dive into the first three string quartets written by Ludwig van Beethoven. Even in these early works, one can hear elements of Beethoven’s revolutionary approach to composition. 

Beethoven Quartet in D major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 3 (1798-99)

Beethoven Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 1 (1798-1800)

Beethoven Quartet in G major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 2 (1799-1800)

CALIDORE STRING QUARTET: JEFFREY MYERS, RYAN MEEHAN, Violin; JEREMY BERRY, Viola; ESTELLE CHOI, Cello 

Beethoven’s Early Quartets
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 4:00 pm
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center, Brooklyn, NY
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The acclaimed Calidore String Quartet completes the set of Beethoven’s Opus 18 Quartets—his earliest foray into string quartet writing, but with all the emotional impact of his later works.

Beethoven Quartet in A major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 5 (1799-1800)

Beethoven Quartet in C minor for Strings, Op. 18, No. 4 (1799-1800)

Beethoven Quartet in B-flat major for Strings, Op. 18, No. 6 (1800)

CALIDORE STRING QUARTET: JEFFREY MYERS, RYAN MEEHAN, Violin; JEREMY BERRY, Viola; ESTELLE CHOI, Cello 

Beethoven’s “Razumovsky” Quartets
Friday, January 24, 2025, 7:30 pm
Stone Circle Theatre, Queens, NY
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The three Razumovsky Quartets by Beethoven are among his most stirring and dramatic works for string quartet. The Calidore String Quartet takes on the challenge of performing all three on this special concert.

Beethoven Quartet in F major for Strings, Op. 59, No. 1, “Razumovsky” (1806)

Beethoven Quartet in E minor for Strings, Op. 59, No. 2, “Razumovsky” (1806)

Beethoven Quartet in C major for Strings, Op. 59, No. 3, “Razumovsky” (1806)

CALIDORE STRING QUARTET: JEFFREY MYERS, RYAN MEEHAN, Violin; JEREMY BERRY, Viola; ESTELLE CHOI, Cello 

An Afternoon of Contemporary Chamber Music
Saturday, March 1, 2025, 4:00 pm
Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Cultural Center
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238
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Directly from the Sonic Spectrum series, hear a diverse collection of music for winds, percussion, and piano, written by living composers whose unique voices and creativity make them some of the most exciting composers of today. The concert includes a new work by American composer Elise Arancio, commissioned by CMS. Elise made her composition debut in 2014, at age 14, with a piece for string orchestra at Emory University; her music is often composed of animated dialogues between and within different instruments and mediums. 

 Liza Lim Ming Qi (Bright Vessel) for Oboe and Percussion (2000)

Tonia Ko Tilt for Bassoon (2021)

Elainie Lillios Sleep’s Undulating Tide for Flute and Electronics (2016)

Alejandro Viñao RIFF for Marimba and Piano (2006)

Elise Arancio New Work for Flute, Piano, and Percussion (2025)

Viet Cuong Trains of Thought for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano (2012)

JUHO POHJONEN, Piano; TARA HELEN O'CONNOR, Flute; JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, Oboe; PETER KOLKAY, Bassoon; IAN DAVID ROSENBAUM, Percussion

Beethoven, Brahms, and Elgar
Friday, May 30, 7:00 pm
Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture
Hostos Community College
450 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451
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A spectacular cast of CMS musicians performs three late-career works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Elgar. In contrast to their often exuberant, youthful early works, the late works of these mature composers invite reflection and a sense of nostalgia, particularly in the case of Beethoven, whose Cello Sonata in D Major was written three years after his total hearing loss.  

Beethoven Sonata in D major for Cello and Piano, Op. 102, No. 2 (1815)

Brahms Sonata No. 3 in D minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 108 (1886-88)

Elgar Quintet in A minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 84 (1918-19)

ALESSIO BAX, MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN, Piano; BENJAMIN BEILMAN, RICHARD LIN, Violin; MILENA PÁJARO-VAN DE STADT, Viola; PAUL WATKINS, Cello

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About the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) brings the transcendent experience of great chamber music to more people than any other organization of its kind, with a full season in New York, as well as numerous residencies around the US and national and international tours. Under the artistic leadership of David Finckel and Wu Han, CMS presents a wide variety of concert series and educational events for listeners of all ages, appealing to both connoisseurs and newcomers. The multi-generational and international performing-artist roster of 140 of the world’s best chamber musicians enables CMS to present chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. Each season, CMS reaches a global audience with more than 150 performances and education programs in our home at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio at CMS and on tour worldwide. Now in its 28th year, The Bowers Program, CMS’s competitive three-season residency, is dedicated to developing the chamber music leaders of the future and integrates this selection of extraordinary early-career musicians into every facet of CMS activities. 

Its incomparable digital presence, which regularly enables CMS to reach hundreds of thousands of viewers and listeners around the globe annually, includes: a growing number of live-streamed programs; more than 1,300 performance and education videos free to the public on its website; a 52-week public radio series across the US; radio programming in Taiwan and mainland China; appearances on American Public Media’s “Performance Today”; the monthly program “In Concert with CMS” on the ALL ARTS broadcast channel;  the NY-Emmy-nominated documentary “Transcending: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Celebrates 50 Years;” the PBS documentary film "Chamber Music Society Returns"; and performances featured on Medici.tv, Tencent, and SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall channel.

CMS offers an extraordinary number of learning formats and experiences to engage and inform listeners of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of musical knowledge, and to provide unique educational opportunities for the most talented early career chamber musicians. Thousands of children, teens, and adults discover the joys of chamber music and deepen their knowledge and appreciation of this beautiful art form through CMS education and community engagement programs. This includes school-based programs for elementary school students, family concerts in both traditional as well as casual and accessible formats, teen-centered programs, master classes throughout the United States and internationally, pre-concert talks, and insightful lectures for adults on the season’s repertoire.

About the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation

The Diamonstein-Spielvogel Foundation was established by Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel to continue and extend their long-term commitment to the common good and the public interest. The Foundation creates, supports, and seeks out original projects based on results-driven and innovative strategies. All funding initiatives are by invitation only.