Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with a series of weeklong events that honor the city’s pivotal role in the nation’s early musical life. On May 3, the acclaimed Isidore String Quartet performs Haydn’s radiant “Sunrise” Quartet and Dvorák’s String Quartet No. 13, preceded by a lecture concert on May 1 at Circular Congregational Church. Community concerts on Edisto Island and in McClellenville, and in-school engagements, round out the festivities. 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 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.
Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society: Community Concert
Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7pm
The Presbyterian Church on Edisto, 2164 SC-174, Edisto Island, SC 29438
SINGLETON “Testimony” for String Quartet
BARTOK String Quartet No. 2 in a minor
MOZART String Quartet in F Major, K. 590
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.
Echoes of the Saint Cecilia Society: Community Concert
Monday, May 4, 2026 at 7pm
McClellanville Arts Council Gallery, 733 Pinckney St, McClellanville, SC
SINGLETON “Testimony” for String Quartet
BARTOK String Quartet No. 2 in a minor
MOZART String Quartet in F Major, K. 590
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.
