The mission of CMA is to foster the love of chamber music in the community by presenting the world's finest musicians.
A Shared Vision: CMA is recognized for excellence in presenting chamber music in its various forms to a diverse audience. Concert seasons include performances by established and emerging artists. As an integral part of the arts community, CMA collaborates with other organizations and provides leadership to enrich the community and make ABQ a chamber music destination. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the June Music Festival, Albert G. Simms wrote, “In 1942 my wife and a group of Albuquerque people, interested in sponsoring music and art in Albuquerque and New Mexico, conceived the idea of the June Music Festival…. Mrs. Simms, with her deep feeling for art and beauty, realized the importance of music in a community, and she wished to make it possible for the people of Albuquerque to hear and enjoy the great and beautiful works written by the great masters in the field of chamber music.” Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms died on December 31, 1944. Beginning in 1946, Albert G. Simms sponsored the June Music Festival as a gift to the community in memory of his wife. In 1961 the financial responsibility for the Festival was undertaken by three musicians, Georges Miquelle, Josef Gingold, and Ralph Berkowitz, who formed the nucleus of the performing artists. In 1966 (the 25th season), the June Music Festival became an incorporated body with a Board of Directors assuming the responsibility for the continuance of the Festival. During its history, the June Music Festival has been presented at Manzano Day School, the Albuquerque Little Theatre, Keller and Woodward Halls on the University of New Mexico campus and at the current home at Albuquerque Academy. During the first 25 years there was no resident ensemble, but outstanding musicians from around the country came each year to participate. From 1979 through 1989, the Guarneri String Quartet served as quartet in residence. In 1990, the Festival began presenting three different performing groups each June in recognition of the emergence of so many fine chamber ensembles. The organization began sponsoring periodic winter concerts in 1972, and by 1997, the Board of Directors felt the time had come to adopt a new name: Chamber Music Albuquerque (CMA), which better describes the scope of the organization’s programs. Chamber Music Albuquerque offers the citizens of the Albuquerque area an opportunity to hear and see outstanding national and international artists at prices far below those of larger metropolitan areas in the country.
We are attempting to appeal to the diverse residents of central New Mexico. Accordingly, we serve close to 10,000 people annually, ranging in age from high school students to senior citizens. Our guest artists provide an opportunity for intellectual and culturally relevant discovery. It provides an opportunity to understand how chamber music has evolved throughout history while offering new insights into the thinking of living artists and how they interpret and struggle with the process of musical creation and interpretation.
CMA donates concert tickets to a number of worthy organizations throughout Albuquerque, maintaining its role as a responsible community citizen. All venues currently used by us are handicapped accessible and meet the requirements of the Americans for Disability Act.
We enjoy substantial community support that includes contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.
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