Presenting chamber music concerts and supporting music education
Friends of Music Concerts, Inc., is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that for 65 continuous seasons has brought the finest chamber music to Westchester, New York audiences. In an annual six-concert series, it showcases both world-renowned ensembles and distinguished younger artists who illustrate the diversity and fine quality of chamber music today. With its residency program in public schools and free student admission to its concert series, it gives young people in the community enhanced exposure to and appreciation of classical music, with a view toward building audiences for the future.
Performers
Starting with its first sold-out concert in Croton-on-Hudson on March 27, 1954, by the then-fledgling Juilliard String Quartet, each new season has brought to the Friends of Music concert venue an exciting mix of the established and the new. Many groups and artists, such as the Emerson and Tokyo String Quartets, Garrick Ohlsson, Gil Shaham, and Jeremy Denk, have made multiple appearances over the years. Since the 2010-11 season, the series has included a concert by the winner of our Performance Award (which see), presented to a winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions held in New York City. Programs for each concert have been chosen carefully so as to provide overall an eclectic repertoire for Friends of Music’s audiences. In celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2004, the season’s final concert (by the Guarneri String Quartet) included the world premiere of a new string quartet from American composer Richard Danielpour, commissioned by Friends of Music Concerts and now part of the general chamber music repertory.
