Rhode Island

Chamber Music Concerts

History

Rhode Island Chamber Music Concerts has been presenting artists of the highest caliber in Providence for more than 50 years. Its origins were in private concerts at the Benefit Street mansion of John Nicholas Brown and his wife Anne. By the 1960s, the concerts were open to the public and were presented at the Rhode Island School of Design Auditorium. In recent decades, concerts have been at Alumnae Hall, Brown University.

Our access to Alumnae Hall has become more and more difficult because of increased use of the facility by student groups. As of 2009-2010 there are five major student organizations (the Brown Opera Project, Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan, and three dance troupes) each wanting two uninterrupted weeks in the hall every semester, not to mention those with lesser requests. The hall has been booked as late as 2 AM for rehearsal. Brown's policy is to put students first, and so RICMC had to find a new location.

We are very please to be moving to the First Unitarian Church (One Benevolent Street, on the corner with Benefit Street) starting with the 2010-2011 season and we hope for a good long run thereafter. One major change necessitated by the move is that the pews do not lend themselves to assigned seating. Rather, there will be three sections, at three prices. Our recent tradition of Wednesday night performances is not ideal for the Church because of other events in the Parish Hall, so we are experimenting with concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and one on Wednesday that could not be moved). We will do our best to remind subscribers of the correct dates, and we expect to settle on a consisted weekday in the future.

Over the years Rhode Island Chamber Music Concerts has presented internationally renowned musicians, such as the Juilliard String Quartet, the Guarneri String Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Beaux Arts Trio, Takacs String Quartet and St. Lawrence String Quartet.. Noted soloists such as Yefim Bronfman and Menahem Pressler have appeared. In addition, the organization has prided itself on discovering and presenting groups at the beginning of their careers, often after they have won international competitions.