Our Story

Founded in 1944 by pianist, educator and internationally syndicated radio host Dr. Karl Haas, Chamber Music Detroit began as an informal association of people brought together for the purpose of listening to chamber music. Dr. Haas instituted lectures (the forerunners to his popular syndicated radio program "Adventures in Good Music") at the Detroit Public Library to inform the public about upcoming concerts. During its first ten seasons, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit (known in its earliest years as the Chamber Music Festival) presented its concerts at the Detroit Institute of Arts Lecture Hall. Until the late 1960s, Chamber Music Society of Detroit ensembles often comprised the first chair musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, including such artists as Josef Gingold and Mischa Mischakoff, as well as Dr. Haas himself as pianist.

In 1969, the leadership of the Chamber Music Society passed from Karl Haas to Dr. Zalman “Tiny” Konikow; from this point forward, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit invited touring artists and ensembles from around the globe to perform on its series. During his 25-year tenure as president, Tiny Konikow showcased the talents of many up-and-coming musicians. Most notable are the Chamber Music Society of Detroit's early presentations of Emanuel Ax, Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Murray Perahia and the Tokyo String Quartet, as well as near-annual performances by the Guarneri Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio. Under Tiny Konikow's leadership, the Chamber Music Society of Detroit played a crucial role in the preservation and renovation of Detroit's Orchestra Hall by becoming, in 1978, its first permanent tenant since the Detroit Symphony had left the hall decades before.

In 1995, Lois R. Beznos became President of Chamber Music Detroit, after serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees since 1987. 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. She established a collaboration with the Wayne State University Department of Music in 1995, introducing master classes by Chamber Music Detroit series artists. Gradually increasing its scope over the years, the education program evolved into an intensive Two-Week Ensemble Residency Program encompassing school and community collaborations throughout metropolitan Detroit.

In 1996, Chamber Music Detroit along with seven other chamber music presenters in the United States, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institution, was selected to present in perpetuity the winner of the Cleveland Quartet Award.

In the late 1990's the Detroit Symphony merged with Orchestra Hall and moved its concerts from Ford Auditorium in Detroit to Orchestra Hall, making fewer dates available to outside presenters like Chamber Music Detroit. At the same time, Detroit Country Day School opened its newly-built concert facility, Seligman Performing Arts Center. Chamber Music Detroit presented the inaugural concert at Seligman featuring Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and moved its entire series to the new hall in the fall of 2000.

In 2001, Lois Beznos worked with the members of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio and nineteen other U.S. presenters to launch an award to recognize and provide performance and recording opportunities to a gifted early-career piano trio. The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award was run by Chamber Music Detroit for four biennial cycles and brought wider recognition to four winning piano trios: the Claremont Trio, Trio Con Trio Copenhagen, the Atos Trio and the Morgenstern Trio.

In December 2010, Lois R. Beznos stepped down from the presidency of the Chamber Music Detroit. After a national search, she was succeeded by Dr. Stephen Wogaman, a pianist and former student of Beaux Arts Trio pianist Menahem Pressler.

Under Steve Wogaman’s leadership, the organization has sought to expand Chamber Music Detroit’s reach beyond its flagship concert series and engage new audiences in urban and suburban locations across Metro Detroit. Partnering with Wayne State University and Oakland University, concert series were instituted on both campuses. In recent seasons concerts have also taken place at Christ Church Grosse Pointe and the War Memorial in Grosse Pointe, Pontiac’s Flagstar Strand Theatre, the Village Theatre at Cherry Hill in Canton, and several venues in downtown Detroit, including the Cube at Orchestra Hall, Music Hall and Schaver Music Recital Hall. Concurrently, the organization adopted a multi-year plan to bring about more equity and inclusion in its programming, staff and board membership.

With the onset of COVID-19 in March of 2020, the organization's expansion grew to embrace audiences across the United States through Chamber Music Detroit’s innovative CameraMusic platform, through which the organization shared its own in-house webcasting capacity with partnering organizations across the U.S. and Canada, presenting webcast concerts during periods when live performances were not possible. 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.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility

Chamber Music Detroit is dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable cultural organization that embraces diversity and values the unique perspectives and experiences of all individuals. We are continuously working to create a welcoming environment on and off the stage, supporting the community and ensuring accessibility for all.