The Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth Incorporated

Artistic Program - The foundation of CMSFW is the annual concert series, designed for local artists to provide chamber music experiences to the public; the series has grown to include superior musical artists presenting a variety of chamber music. The 2023-2024 season consisted of 7 concerts presented September 2023-May 2024 and reached approximately 1,300 patrons. The annual concert series helps support the outreach program; both programs serving over 3,000 youth and over 1,000 adults each year and growing.

Community Outreach - CMSFW developed an educational outreach program to serve students and families in low-income communities, free of charge. There are four core programs that explore music and art through various engagements. Building Blocks of Music, brings chamber music to our youngest audiences in the poorest schools and communities in Fort Worth. Students are introduced to the instrument families, learn how they are grouped in chamber ensembles, and are taught to use a musical vocabulary when listening. Several musical examples are paired with paintings to demonstrate how music and art create feeling and emotion. For nine seasons, Learning with the Masters is a program that provides young musicians with the opportunity to learn directly from our guest artists - providing information and inspiration that shapes their musical experience. Through heartfelt conversations and story recollections by guest artists, as well as master classes, Learning with the Masters gives insight and encouragement to the participating musicians and our extended audience through our YouTube channel. For 34 years, Pre-concert conversations are presented 45 minutes before the start of every CMSFW concert and provide insight into the composers and specific pieces being performed that afternoon. Informative conversation combines with an audio/visual presentation that explores the composers' backgrounds and musical snippets from the works to help the audience connect more to the music being performed. These 2023-2024 lectures are uploaded to the CMSFW YouTube channel. Beginning in 2018, CMSFW2 identifies high school and college-age students who are on track for important professional careers by giving them the opportunity to perform in a highly sought-after venue for a seasoned chamber music audience. The musicians are highly-gifted high school and college students who come from all parts of the United States.