About Us

Chamber Music in Yellow Springs produces concerts by established and emerging chamber music ensembles of the highest professional quality. CMYS is a not-for-profit organization fostering interest in chamber music and enriching the cultural life of our community.

A few passionate classical music lovers decided in 1983 to organize a concert series of established chamber music ensembles in our village and named their all-volunteer group Chamber Music in Yellow Springs. The CMYS founders wanted to enjoy superb classical music in live performances in an appropriate local venue. The seeds they planted thirty-five years ago have prospered far beyond their expectations. Musicians loved performing unique music by famous and less-known classical composers written intentionally for small ensembles and small spaces. Performing for people who obviously appreciated their concerts pleased everyone.  The ensembles wanted to return and we enthusiastically invited them to to do so. They told fellow musicians about CMYS and we continue to have the finest of chamber music ensembles happily performing in for us.

The same early volunteers had the vision to start a special annual program to promote young, emerging professional chamber music ensembles. Our annual competition is now in its thirty-fourth year and more than 50% of our finalist ensembles are still actively performing throughout the world as well as returning to Yellow Springs. We bring four established and two emerging ensembles to our concert series and competitions annually. Often we invite these musicians to spend extra time in local schools introducing students to their instruments and music or to present master classes for students at local universities.

Yellow Springs has a history of welcoming visitors and they enjoy being here. Early visitors came to the spa seeking healthful effects from the water of the yellow spring.  Later a distinctive college was founded here and welcomed a famous educator as its first president and students and faculty from across the nation. CMYS is a strong part of the Yellow Springs tapestry.

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