Monday, March 16, 2026
7:30 PM

We eagerly welcome pianist Conor Hanick to the Athenaeum for the first time for an adventurous solo recital featuring Charles Ives’s monumental first sonata and two Schubert Impromptus paired with a new revision of Samuel Carl Adams’s Three Impromptus (a West Coast premiere) inspired by Schubert. 

Monday, February 23, 2026
7:30 PM

This special “lineage” program combines world-class performers and pedagogues in their debut performance as a trio, featuring romantic lyricism alongside playful folk melodies, culminating in Dvorak’s always riveting “Dumky” piano trio.

Monday, November 17, 2025
7:30 PM

A longtime favorite on the Athenaeum chamber music series, the Maxwell String Quartet returns with a colorful program that opens with their signature dose of Scottish folk tunes, followed by Edmund Finnis’s first quartet, a poetic work that draws inspiration from the choral music of William Byrd, which closes the first half in an arrangement by the Maxwell String Quartet. Brahms’s epic second quartet rounds out this exciting evening.

Monday, October 20, 2025
7:30 PM

Superstar cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia returns to open our season with a dreamy duo program of French sonatas, unique transcriptions, and Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne (adapted from his ballet Pulcinella). Cañón-Valencia is a BBC Next Generation Artist and Tchaikovsky Competition silver medalist; his skill is hailed by The Strad as “technically flawless … totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms.”

Monday, May 12, 2025
7:30 PM

The series concludes Monday, May 12, with the New Orford String Quartet presenting works by Mozart, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Beethoven. Violinists Andrew Wan and Jonathan Crow, violist Sharon Wei, and cellist Brian Manker formed their ensemble with the goal of developing a new model for a touring string quartet: bringing four elite orchestral leaders and soloists together on a regular basis over many years to perform chamber music at the highest level. The Toronto Star has described this outcome as “nothing short of electrifying.” They have seen astonishing success, giving annual concerts for national CBC broadcast and receiving two Opus Awards for Concert of the Year and a 2017 JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. Recent seasons have featured return engagements in Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto, as well as their New York City debut on Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series.

Tuesday, April 8, 2025
7:30 PM

The series continues Tuesday, April 8, with members of the Great Wall String Quartet performing a program of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Piazzolla. Its members share a vision to connect with more immediacy to audiences and to give guidance to the next generation of chamber musicians. Violinist Qi Zhou is a member of the prestigious chamber orchestra Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen. Xu Wenbo is the current viola and chamber music instructor at the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Academy in Hamburg. Hailed in New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” Yao Zhao performs with a dynamism that has secured him a successful career as the principal cello of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

Monday, February 10, 2025
7:30 PM

On Monday, February 10, the Grammy-nominated ensemble AGAVE returns to the Athenaeum with Reginald Mobley, a countertenor noted for his “shimmering voice” (BachTrack) and renowned for his interpretation of baroque, classical, and modern repertoire. AGAVE will present American Originals, a program based on their album of the same name that features music by brilliant yet underrepresented composers and explores how the blending of European, African, and indigenous styles created uniquely American sounds. The ensemble will include Mobley, Co-Director Aaron Westman on violin and viola, Anna Washburn on violin and viola, Kevin Cooper on guitar and theorbo, Katherine Kyme on violin and viola, William Skeen on viola da gamba and violoncello, and Co-Director Henry Lebedinsky on harpsichord and piano.

Monday, December 2, 2024
7:30 PM

On Monday, December 2, Grammy-nominated pianist Andrius Žlabys will perform a varied program of works by J.S. Bach and César Franck and his own composition Echoes of Light, an homage to Mozart. Žlabys states, “At the center of the piece, there are two fragments from Mozart’s Requiem. [What follows is] influenced by Carl Sagan’s writings. I imagine fragments of Mozart’s Requiem continuing to echo through space and time, perhaps never again detected, yet always present.” Žlabys has received acclaim for his appearances with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony, and Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires.

Monday, November 4, 2024
7:30 PM

The series continues Monday, November 4, with clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan, pianist Alin Melik-Adamyan, and guest artist (and Co-Director of Chamber Music at the Athenaeum) cellist Alex Greenbaum. This program will include music from Debussy, Martinu, and Mangani and will close with Brahms’ beloved Trio for piano, clarinet, and cello. Allakhverdyan was appointed Principal Clarinet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2016. The New York Times called his playing “inspired” and “superlative,” and the Los Angeles Times praised his “energetic, vibrant solos.” Melik-Adamyan is a prize-winning collaborative artist, soloist, and chamber musician praised for her “sensitivity unique in the piano world” (Musical Gourmet).

Monday, October 7, 2024
7:30 PM

The series opens Monday, October 7, with the prize-winning Armenian American sister duo of cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian. The Los Angeles Times called the sisters “true artists showing great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments.” They have toured France, Armenia, Qatar, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented countless programs in the United States. In 2022, the duo released their debut album, Gems from Armenia, listed at the top of Billboard’s Classical Charts for six weeks. The sisters hosted and curated Living American on Sirius XM Radio, where they discussed their music and heritage.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024
7:30 PM

In his first visit to San Diego, cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia performs an exciting and varied solo program, ranging from Bach’s Second Suite to works from his latest album, Ascenso (Sono Luminus), which includes original compositions and arrangements by the cellist himself. Cañón-Valencia is a 2022 BBC Next Generation Artist and winner of the silver medal and “audience favorite” at the 2019 Tchaikovsky International Competition. The Strad magazine describes him in performance as “technically flawless [and] totally under the skin of the composers’ idioms.”

This concert will be held in memory of Ginny Black.

Monday, March 18, 2024
7:30 PM

This vibrant young group has been acclaimed as an “outstanding ensemble … cohesive yet full of temperament” (New York Times) and is the faculty quartet-in-residence at Oberlin College and Conservatory. They make their first appearance at the Athenaeum with a program that travels from Britain to Bohemia and includes a nod to San Diego, featuring quartets by William Walton, Antonin Dvorak, and SDSU faculty member Texu Kim.

Thursday, January 25, 2024
7:30 PM

One of our (and our audience’s!) favorite string quartets returns to the series, with two of the most revolutionary works for string quartet ever written (by Haydn and Beethoven) as well as a celebration of folk music from three-quarters of the quartet’s native Scotland.

Monday, December 18, 2023
7:30 PM

This virtuoso duo will visit the Athenaeum for the first time together. They will present a program that celebrates and highlights some of the most beloved works written by two giants of the classical canon: Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023
7:30 PM

A string trio with four instruments? A harpsichord hiding behind the cello? The Valencia Baryton Project has dedicated itself to the performance of music written for an ancient and little-known instrument, the baryton. A cross between the viol da gamba and lirone (or lira da gamba), with 10 resonating and plucked strings down the back of the instrument, the baryton gives the traditional string trio an entirely new dimension. This unique group was originally scheduled to visit our series in 2022 and will bring a fresh program of old and new works sure to delight.

Sunday, October 29, 2023
6 PM* (*Special start time)

This group of superstars makes their first visit to San Diego as a trio, opening the Athenaeum’s season with a bang. Their dynamic program features sonatas by Poulenc along with works by some of today’s most exciting composers, including Missy Mazzoli and Valerie Coleman (whose Portraits of Langston was inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes*). This special opening concert will be performed without intermission.

Saturday, April 15, 2023
7:30 PM

The Baumer Quartet (Nathan Olson and Aaron Requiro, violins; John T. Posadas, viola; and David Requiro, cello) makes its first visit to the Athenaeum with a celebratory program to end the 2022–2023 season, featuring quartets by Haydn and Ravel. The members of the Quartet pursue parallel careers as international soloists, leaders, and principal players in world-class orchestras, as members of eminent chamber groups; and as professors of music. They will be joined by Alex Greenbaum (cellist and Co-Director of Chamber Music at the Athenaeum) for one of the most beloved chamber works ever written, Schubert’s epic Cello Quintet in C Major.

Friday, March 17, 2023
7:30 PM

The Formosa Quartet (Jasmine Lin and Wayne Lee, violins; Matthew Cohen, viola; Deborah Pae, cello) is one of our favorite ensembles. Hailed as “spellbinding” (The Strad) and “remarkably fine” (Gramophone), they return to the Athenaeum with a program including two of the most beloved string quartets in the repertoire by Mozart and Schumann. This colorful program additionally features a “Formosa Quartet Set,” an assortment of shorts from their collection of folk, pop, jazz, and poetry arrangements, curated especially for each concert.

Monday, February 27, 2023
7:30 PM

Johann Sebastian, Johann Christoph, Johann Bernhard, Johann Michael, and Heinrich are all in the family . . . the BACH family. The Grammy-nominated team of AGAVE (Aaron Westman and Anna Washburn, violin; Kati Kyme, viola; William Skeen, violoncello and viola da gamba; Henry Lebedinsky, organ; and Kevin Cooper, theorbo) and star countertenor Reginald L. Mobley perform BACH/Family, a celebration of this illustrious musical family, active from the age of the Thirty Years’ War all the way through the end of the 18th century. This musical family reunion includes Johann Sebastian’s beautiful and brilliant Violin Sonata in G and a choice selection of virtuosic arias from his cantatas; a passionate wedding chaconne by second cousin Johann Christoph; a wild sonata by Christoph’s brother, Johann Michael; the Orchestral Suite no. 1 in G minor by an immensely talented cousin, Johann Bernhard; as well as works by early Bach contemporaries Philipp Heinrich Erlebach and Johann Rosenmüller.

Monday, December 5, 2022
7:30 PM

One of our Athenaeum audience’s best-loved pianists and winner of numerous international competitions, Ilya Yakushev will return for a solo recital rich in variety, featuring a little something for everyone. Yakushev’s program opens with Haydn and Mozart before embarking on Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata. A Romantic second half includes a selection of Rachmaninoff’s preludes in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

Monday, November 21, 2022
7:30 PM

Violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen is “one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene” (Washington Post), and Vicky Chow is “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). These two musicians are well-versed in music from all eras, are rock stars on their instruments, and will join forces for an exciting and varied program. They have collaborated with some of today’s most exciting artists (including Yo-Yo Ma, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and Silkroad), and will present a program with a thoughtful mix of music from the past and present, featuring works by Bach and Debussy alongside contemporary composers Philip Glass and Judd Greenstein, among others.

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Generously underwritten by Eric Lasley and Judith Bachner.

Friday, October 28, 2022
7:30 PM

This trio of accomplished soloists and chamber musicians (violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, cellist Tanya Tomkins, and pianist Ines Irawati) have become fast friends and collaborators, bringing their vast individual experiences together for the past few years. The Hidden Valley Virtuosi will open our season with a dramatic and varied program featuring piano trios by Edvard Grieg and Felix Mendelssohn.

Monday, May 23, 2022
7:30 PM

Pianist Cecil Lytle has been a San Diego presence for over four decades, a specialist in Liszt (he won First Prize in the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition), jazz, and 20th-century music. He appeared on Jazz at the Athenaeum in 1993, and this marks his first performance for our Chamber Music Series. His concert features music by two great piano virtuosos: Franz Liszt and Thomas “Fats” Waller.

Monday, April 25, 2022
7:30 PM

Paul Galbraith is internationally renowned as one of the foremost guitarists of our time. The searching depth of his interpretations, along with his revolutionary playing style and instrument, have made him an instantly recognizable figure in the world of classical music.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022
7:30 PM

This piano trio last appeared at The Athenaeum in 2016. The Neave will perform an all-French program. They’ll perform a piece by 19th-century composer Louise Farrenc off their highly praised CD, Her Voice. A member of the group of composers known as Les Six, Germaine Tailleferre is rarely heard in concert halls today. We’ll end with the beloved Piano Trio by Ravel.

Monday, February 14, 2022
7:30 PM

Francis Poulenc combined oboe, bassoon, and piano in his 1926 Trio. The Poulenc Trio was formed in 2003 to further explore this instrumentation. Since then, they have commissioned 20 works. The last time they played at the Athenaeum was in 2010, and they’ll bring some newly commissioned works along with their signature piece.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

7:30 PM

In 1890 Brahms retired from composing, but, after hearing the clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, was inspired to write clarinet music. His Clarinet Quintet (1891) breathed new life into a neglected medium. Four years later the 20-year-old Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor wrote his Clarinet Quintet which combined the formal concern of Brahms with the rhythmic and harmonic influence of Dvorak. Rising clarinet star Max Opferkuch will perform with the Zelter String Quartet, winner of the 2021 Chesapeake Music International Chamber Music Competition.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

7:30 PM

This thoughtful British quartet sold out the Athenaeum in 2019 and 2020. They play with discipline, enthusiasm, and humor. As they’ve done at the previous shows, they’ll play their own arrangements of Scottish folk tunes.

Monday, May 24, 2021
7 PM

The Athenaeum is pleased to announce a livestreamed chamber concert featuring the San Diego Baroque. San Diego Baroque is a collaborative ensemble made up of the area’s finest early music specialists.

Monday, April 19, 2021

7 PM

The Athenaeum is pleased to announce a livestreamed chamber concert featuring the Hausmann Quartet. The Hausmann Quartet has established itself as an integral part of the cultural life of Southern California since its arrival in San Diego in 2010. The members of the Hausmann Quartet are violinists Isaac Allen and Bram Goldstein, violist Angela Choong and cellist Alex Greenbaum.