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A New Model for the Performing Arts

Our Mission

The mission of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society is to engage our community in a life more beautiful through the shared experience and transformative impact of chamber music, to make great repertoire and today’s leading artists available to everyone wishing to participate, and to build audiences and support for this incredible art form.

Each year, we present a varied season of 50-55 concerts by world-renowned artists—all for just $30 per ticket or less—and 50 education programs to train and inspire young people. We also serve audiences by providing high-quality and personalized service, community outreach, pre-concert lectures, curated experiences, and a friendly and welcoming concert environment.

The Society is far more than a concert presenter. We have deep roots in Philadelphia and throughout the world of music. Our performances are a place of connection and community, where artists and audiences share and enjoy experiences that are fundamentally human, and yet transcendent—where the trivial gives way to the essential, and where we are all connected to a life more beautiful.

Our History

Since its founding by Anthony Checchia in 1986, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society has presented more than 1,700 concerts, commissioned 60 new works, and presented 100 world premieres. Great artists, compelling repertoire, affordable prices, and a friendly and welcoming community have been the hallmarks of this organization from the beginning.

Our annual 50-concert season features eminent string quartets and other ensembles, renowned pianists, great string and woodwind recitalists, an acclaimed art song series, early music, new music, guitarists, and a rich diversity of programming. The Society is a founding resident company of the Kimmel Center, with 35 concerts in the Perelman Theater each year, and presents performances also in collaborations with the American Philosophical Society, Musical Fund Society, and other cultural institutions.

Each season, to enrich the lives of young people, we also present more than 50 education and outreach programs and distribute more than 800 free student tickets. These programs, along with our commitment to affordable pricing, are opening doors to participation in the arts—building new audiences, enthusiasm, and support.

Press

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society has taken the lead as the city's constant reminder that it's all about artists and repertoire. In fact, without a single concession, the scale and quality of the series is unlike anything else in the country. Peter Dobrin
It may be obvious to anyone who regularly attends Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concerts, but it’s even more clear now: Feeling part of a group reinforces the relationship with art. To stand in the lobby of the Kimmel Center at intermission and overhear a conversation about the sound quality cultivated by a particular pianist or string quartet is an exhilarating thing. Over time, you befriend audience members, you develop ways of talking about the art, and it changes your musical values. Peter Dobrin
PCMS deserves credit for sheer scope and vision. The chamber music setting need not be small on ideas... and those ideas can marry intellectualism with old-fashioned musical enjoyment. Cameron Kelsall
Emily_Collier

In Their Own Words

"PCMS is really a society, or even a family. The intimate concert settings, the focus that the audience brings to the performances, the quality of the staff, and the fact that we are welcomed at every single concert speaks volumes as to the personal nature of the experience. Classical performances can sometimes err on the side of making the audience member feel anonymous, and at PCMS you really feel you're a part of the experience."
Emily Collier

Patron since 2009

In Their Own Words

"After 25 years of attending PCMS concerts, it is not unusual to see the audience profoundly connected to the performers, to the music, and to each other, as though we were all breathing at the same rate, drawing all of us into the intimacy of the experience. This is a hallmark of PCMS concerts. They are a central part of our life in Philadelphia."
John Higgins

Patron since 1992

In Their Own Words

"Few other series compare to PCMS in the diversity and breadth of their programming and in their commitment to the affordability and accessibility of great music. It shows in how welcoming, open-minded, and committed the PCMS audiences are."
Emilie-Anne Gendron

Momenta String Quartet

In Their Own Words

"The work of PCMS and the many international artists that they bring to the Philadelphia region directly dovetails with our mission to highlight the rich global activity of the city and promote the development of an international consciousness within the region."
Zabeth Teelucksingh

Executive Director, Global Philadelphia

In Their Own Words

"The Student Pass program at PCMS offers the only affordable way that I have been able to attend concerts that I am most interested in. The musicians are amazing, and every concert has been most enjoyable."
Matthew Lucas

Student Pass Holder

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