About Chamber Music Sedona

Purpose

Friends sharing Magical Music with Friends in the Majestic Red Rocks of Sedona

Mission Statement

The mission of Chamber Music Sedona is to enrich the culture of Sedona, the Verde Valley and Northern Arizona by presenting outstanding classical music performed by the world’s finest musicians and promote a love of the performing arts through music education programs.

History

Chamber Music Sedona was established as a 501(3)(c) nonprofit in 1983 to present two-week festivals at Verde Valley School. Within a few years, CMS expanded to include concerts in Prescott, Flagstaff, Jerome, and Cottonwood.

In the mid 1990’s, CMS hired the first artistic director, and the year-round concerts series began. All concerts were then held at the St. John Vianney Church in Sedona. At that time, the scope of artists began to include many more well-known names: Emanuel Ax, Hillary Hann, the Julliard String Quartet, The Tokyo String Quartet, and others, as well as many up and coming young artists. During this period, the board decided to introduce the artists into the local schools for Master Classes and music appreciation events. In 2008, CMS expanded by adding the Metropolitan Opera HD Live concerts in hopes of attracting a larger audience. However, by 2014, it became obvious that the additional costs were not yielding the intended results and were impacting operations. In response, CMS formed a new Board and hired a consultant to reorganize. The reorganization eliminated the opera-casts and focused CMS exclusively on chamber music. All concerts moved to the outstanding Sedona Performing Arts Center, which also offered greater seating capacity.

In 2018, CMS hired Nicholas Canellakis of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as artistic director. The reorganization brought immediate rewards. With more dynamic programming, the audience grew to 200-350 per concert, and the organization’s finances stabilized.  The new artistic director expanded the educational program to include Concerts for Youth performed by the visiting artists, as well as small concerts in local nursing homes. As of this date, Chamber Music Sedona has helped improve the quality of education in local schools, and has welcomed over 550 artists to our community to perform for our most appreciative and appreciated audiences.

Artistic Director

Nick Canellakis
Artistic Director
nick@chambermusicsedona.org

Staff

Jan Wind
Consultant

Jet Tennant
Consultant

Cindy Woudenberg
Media Relations
cindy@lucorpmarketing.com

Kurt Triffet
Graphics and Web
info@triffetdesign.com

Office Hours: Open 9:00 am – noon the Friday before a concert. Otherwise by appointment. To make an appointment, please call the office  928-204-2415 and leave a message with a couple of time suggestions and your phone number, and we will get back to you.

Board of Trustees

Brynn Burkee Unger, President Board of Trustees CMS
Birgit Loewenstein, Vice President Board of Trustees CMS
John Neville, Treasurer Board of Trustees CMS
Richard Witlin, Secretary Board of Trustees CMS
Winnie Muench, Member Board of Trustees CMS
Steve Segner, Member Board of Trustees CMS
Rob Schottland, Member Board of Trustees CMS
Marisa Wilson, Honorary Member Board of Trustees CMS

Directors Emeritus

James F. Gould, DMA*
Hans Lampl, DMA*
Thomas Leenhouts, MD*
James V. Pease
Harry Schoenberg*

*Deceased

Past Presidents

John Steinbrunner, 2012-2015
Edward Ingraham, 2008-2012
Marion Maby, 2006-2008
Robert Carabell, 2003-2006*
Brynn Burkee Unger, 2002-2003
James V. Pease, 1999-2002
Lelia W. Schoenberg, 1997-1999
Hans Lampl, DMA, 1995-1997*
Thomas Leenhouts, MD, 1992-1995*
Caye Hill, 1989-1992*
Hazel Wait, 1987-1989*
Judith Ginsburg, 1983-1987*

Chamber Music Sedona’s 41st Season was made possible with support from the City of Sedona, the Arizona Commission on the Arts and our loyal patrons. Thank you!