This winter, the Chamber Music Society continues the breadth and depth of its offerings with programs that include classics of the repertoire as well as pieces representing the cutting edge of the art form.

The next installment of Sonic Spectrum, CMS’s new-music series, takes place on January 22, 2026, in the Rose Studio. Violinist Leila Josefowicz, a noted champion of contemporary classical music, joins pianist John Novacek and cellist Paul Watkins for an evening of inventive duos, including two New York premieres and one world premiere, all commissioned or co-commissioned by CMS. Charlotte Bray’s Mriya for Violin and Piano (2023) honors the courage and resiliency of the people of Ukraine; the title is a Ukrainian word that translates to “dream,” “vision,” “ambition,” or “vow.” Sean Shepherd’s Latticework (2024) for Violin and Cello is a large-scale work for small-scale forces, making a major statement despite using only two string instruments. The final commission—receiving its world premiere—is Hua Ting Fu (Ode to Huating) (2025) by Ye Xiaogang, a cello-piano duo which, in the composer’s words, “conveys the elegant history of the countryside in very old Shanghai” (Huating being a very old name for the city). Also on the program are selections from Jörg Widmann’s 24 Duos for Violin and Cello, a work composed in 2008 that has appeared frequently on concert stages around the world.

CMS’s mainstage series in Alice Tully Hall returns after the holidays with an all-Beethoven program that concludes with one of his most beloved pieces: the “Archduke” Trio. This piece, though a repertoire staple, has not been played live at CMS since 2015 (though it did appear on a digital-only concert in December 2020). Dedicated to the Archduke Rudolph of Austria, a friend and patron of Beethoven as well as an accomplished amateur pianist, this classic piano trio is one of the last works from Beethoven’s “middle period,” often associated with his “heroic” style. It is a work of grandeur, exuberance, and celebration. This program, which also features two early-career works by Beethoven, will be performed in Alice Tully Hall on January 25 and 27, and on tour in California, Texas, and Florida, January 18–21.

Next on the mainstage series is a program dedicated solely to the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, a composer who found himself at odds with the repressive Soviet state, yet managed to encapsulate the spirit of his time and place in his utterly gripping music. The Sitkovetsky Trio (pianist Wu Qian, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, and cellist Isang Enders) will perform Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 1, an early-career work that blends a Romantic sensibility with an uneasy modernist discord. Soprano Andriana Chuchman joins the Sitkovetsky Trio in Seven Romances on Poems by Alexander Blok, with texts by a poet who himself had a difficult relationship with the state. Three percussionists (Victor Caccese, Ayano Kataoka, and Ian David Rosenbaum) then take the stage along with pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Paul Huang, and cellist Jonathan Swensen in a unique arrangement for chamber ensemble of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, his final work in that genre. The piece is playful and heavily ironic, and contains a great number of allusions to the composer’s earlier works, as well as to such varied sources as Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Rossini’s William Tell Overture. The arrangement for three percussionists and piano trio, by Viktor Derevianko with assistance from Mark Pekarsky, was produced the year after the original and was approved by the composer. Its instrumentation constitutes one of the most unusual combinations at CMS this season, and the one-night-only performance is an event not to be missed.

As part of CMS’s ongoing series presenting today’s leading string quartets, the Escher String Quartet returns to Alice Tully Hall on February 10 with a program of late works by Mozart and Dvořák, as well as Chris Rogerson’s Quintet for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, a CMS co-commission in its New York premiere, for which the Escher will be joined by long-time CMS violist Paul Neubauer. The six-movement piece takes its inspiration from different types of clouds, with a range of moods and textures from wispy and meditative to stormy and thundering. Rogerson won the 2022 Elise L. Stoeger Prize, awarded by CMS for extraordinary contributions to chamber music composition.

Other performances this winter take slightly unusual turns. A recital by hornist David Byrd-Marrow and pianist Cory Smythe takes place February 5 in the Rose Studio, as part of CMS’s Art of the Recital series. Featuring world premieres of two new works written specially for this recital by the performers themselves (one by each), the program also explores interesting corners of the solo horn and horn-piano repertoire with compositions by Olivier Messiaen, Alec Wilder, Billy Strayhorn, Jérôme Naulais, and Jörg Widmann (whose Air for Horn has become, much like his 24 Duos, an essential part of the contemporary repertoire).

The Rose Studio and Late Night Rose series continues to give audiences a chance to dive into less familiar areas of the classical repertoire. Two performances on January 29 feature CMS musicians performing lesser-known works by Luigi Boccherini, Jean Barrière, and Alfredo d’Ambrosio. The Boccherini work is a string quintet featuring a deep, rich sonority thanks to the presence of two cellos (instead of two violas, the slightly more common string quintet setup, as found in the Chris Rogerson quintet above). The Suite for String Quintet by d’Ambrosio, a rarely heard gem from 1900, has the same two-cello instrumentation. As always, the 6:30 PM performance offers traditional seating, and the 9:00 PM performance offers cabaret-style seating and a complimentary glass of wine sponsored by Somm Cellars.

CMS’s educational programming continues in the winter with CMS Kids performances on January 11 at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM in the Rose Studio. These relaxed and interactive concert experiences, designed for ages 3–6, are presented in a friendly and supportive environment that welcomes all children, including those with neurodiverse and sensory needs, and their families. For adult learners, Inside Chamber Music—a lecture series led by distinguished composer and public radio personality Bruce Adolphe—takes place every Wednesday in February, exploring works by Dvořák, Mozart, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich. Each lecture is supported by CMS musicians playing live excerpts from the featured work.

Truly, there is something to suit every classical music taste this winter at CMS. Following everything mentioned here is the Winter Festival (four concerts and three lectures, February 19 through March 8), which celebrates the history of music written for the violin from the Baroque era through Fritz Kreisler. But that is a topic for next month’s article.

Visit ChamberMusicSociety.org.