Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with two landmark chamber music concerts and a pair of lecture concerts in Charleston that honor the city’s pivotal role in the nation’s early musical life. On March 8, guest artists Daniel Ching and Alan Rafferty join Chamber Music Charleston for Mozart’s Gran Sextet and Dvorák’s String Sextet. This performance is preceded on March 2 with a lecture concert at the Old Exchange Building exploring Charleston’s historic Saint Cecilia Society. On May 3, the acclaimed Isidore String Quartet performs Haydn’s radiant “Sunrise” Quartet and Dvorák’s String Quartet No. 13, preceded by another lecture concert, this time on May 1 at Circular Congregational Church. These events trace a living connection between Charleston’s 18th-century musical heritage, the transatlantic influence of European masters, and the evolving American classical tradition—offering a fitting tribute to the nation’s semiquincentennial through music, history, and education.
Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society: Act 1
Monday, March 2, 2026 at 7pm
Old Exchange Building, 122 East Bay Street
Join us for a special Lecture Concert exploring the Saint Cecilia Society from its founding in 1766 through the Revolutionary War. CMC President and Artistic Director leads the discussion, with a string quartet on hand to perform selections from Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 74, No. 3, “Rider,” and Gaetano Franceschini’s Trio Sonata No. 6.
This event is presented free of charge, with advance reservation required.
Glorious String Sextets
Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3pm
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 405 King Street
Guest violinist Daniel Ching of the Miró Quartet and guest cellist Alan Rafferty of the Cincinnati Symphony join musicians of Chamber Music Charleston for a program of music for string sextet. The concert opens with Mozart’s Grande Sestetto Concertante, an exquisite arrangement of his beloved Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364. The program continues with Dvořák’s String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48, a work filled with folk-inspired melodies, vibrant rhythms, and warm, lyrical beauty.
The Chamber Music Legacy
Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 2pm
Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street
Join us for a special concert celebrating the organization’s dedication to education and mentorship. The program showcases the youthful artistry of emerging musicians, featuring high school string students who are part of the CMC TWO mentoring program alongside accomplished conservatory students. The program will be led by guest violinist Francisco Fullana, who has appeared with major orchestras across the United States and abroad, and his ongoing collaborations with Chamber Music Charleston have become audience favorites. The program includes Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” and “Quartettsatz” for String Quartet.
Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society: Act 2
Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7pm
Circular Congregational Church
Join us for our second Lecture Concert exploring the Saint Cecilia Society. This presentation focusing on the “Golden Age” of the Society, the period of the 1790s when the society reached its zenith. CMC President and Artistic Director and historian Nicholas Butler lead the discussion, with musicians on hand to perform music that would have been performed at Saint Cecilia Society concerts.
This event is presented free of charge, with advance reservation required.
Chamber Music Charleston 20th Anniversary Benefit Concert
Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 3pm
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 405 King Street
The Award Winning Isidore Quartet makes their Charleston, SC debut performing Haydn’s “Sunrise” Quartet and Dvořák’s Quartet No. 13 in G Major.
Community organizations
Do you have a group who would like to attend one of these performances? Please email sandra@chambermusiccharleston.org to learn more about group rates and the opportunity to have our Artistic Director visit with your group within the days or weeks leading up to the performance to discuss the concert and the ties to the St. Cecilia Society.
These programs are sponsored in part through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the South Carolina Arts Commission.
