Chamber Music Cincinnati is going to church this season

Having a year off to contemplate one’s future sometimes brings about major change, and that is precisely what Chamber Music Cincinnati is bringing to its 2021-22 season.

It’s not that the concerts themselves will be dramatically different, but there is a purposeful move toward diversity of and within the ensembles playing this year. The really shift is where concerts will take place.

For those who relish the thought of hearing chamber music in Memorial Hall again this year, you can rejoice. Tuesday evenings will remain the same with performances by the best ensembles in the world. It’s what is being planned for the other performance they will share that constitutes a significant shift. Instead of waiting for people to come to hear music where their concerts are taking place, CMC’s board of directors voted unanimously to present each CMC concert one additional time in one of several large African American churches in Greater Cincinnati. The churches are responsible for filling their own sanctuaries. Money is being raised for music instruction and instrument rental. Big plans.

But the core mission remains – bringing world class performers to the Queen City.