Chamber Music Detroit
Under Lois Beznos' tenure as president, the organization more than tripled its subscriber base and its budget while developing community collaborations, adding professional staff and instituting comprehensive education programs.
At the same time, Detroit Country Day School opened its newly-built concert facility, Seligman Performing Arts Center.
Concurrently, the organization adopted a multi-year plan to bring about more equity and inclusion in its programming, staff and board membership.
By the end of 2021, Chamber Music Detroit had partnered with over 60 organizations to present webcasts that have been viewed in 48 U.S. states and over 50 foreign countries.
Denyce Graves, Lynn Harrell, Daniel Hope, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Gidon Kremer, Alicia de Larrocha, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Jessye Norman, Murray Perahia, Itzhak Perlman, Seiji Ozawa, Jon Kimura Parker, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Andras Schiff, Gil Shaham, Isaac Stern, Richard Stoltzman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Daniil Trifonov, Dawn Upshaw, Krystian Zimerman and Pinchas Zukerman.
During its first ten years, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit presented the Detroit premieres of works by Ernest Bloch, Ernest Chausson, Ernst von Dohnányi, Gabriel Fauré, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Serge Prokofiev, Maurice Ravel, Heitor Villa-Lobos and others.
[3] During its second decade, several world premieres were presented, including works by Michigan composers Ross Lee Finney and Leslie Bassett.
2007: Richard Danielpour, Book of Hours, co-commissioned for the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and viola by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit and six collaborating national presenters.
Commissioned by the Brentano String Quartet and the following co-commissioners: Caramoor Center for the Arts, Katonah, NY; Carnegie Hall, New York, NY; Chamber Music Northwest, Portland, OR; Chamber Music Society of Detroit with support from Ruth Rattner and Ann and Norman Katz; onStage at Connecticut College, New London, CT; Da Camera of Houston; Fontana Chamber Arts, Kalamazoo, MI; Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Luther College, Decorah, IA; Rockport Music, Rockport, MA; Judith and David Falk for Salt Bay Chamberfest, Damariscotta, ME; San Francisco Performances; and Spivey Hall at Clayton State University, Morrow, GA. 2012: Bright Sheng: Dance Capriccio for Piano and String Quartet (World Premiere); Shanghai Quartet with Peter Serkin, piano.
2022: Jeff Scott, Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers (World Premiere, Commissioned by Chamber Music Detroit), performed by Imani Winds with Robert Laidler, poet/narrator, Seth Parker Woods, cello and Cory Smythe, piano.
Chamber Music Detroit's education programming includes an annual series of pre-concert talks, master classes with international artists and ensemble residencies.
In addition, pianist Menahem Pressler, violinists Joseph Silverstein and William Preucil, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and clarinetists Richard Stoltzman and Franklin Cohen have presented master classes.
