Mission and History
To cultivate a deep appreciation for chamber music, to support both artistic excellence and emerging artists, and to expand access to world-class experiences in Buffalo through our annual concert series, community outreach, and scholarships for young musicians.
Our story
The second-oldest chamber music organization in the United States began modestly in the basement of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. Three women attended an informal concert at the church by a quartet of off-duty theater musicians and came away impressed with the quality of the music making. Emily Gray Hamlin, Evelyn Choate and Mrs. Carlos Alden resolved to create an organization devoted to symphonic and chamber concerts. They formed the Buffalo Symphony Society, drew up a plan, raised funds and began organizing concerts.
The first chamber performance took place March 12, 1924 in the ballroom of the newly built Hotel Statler. First-chair players from the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra performed quartets by Mozart and Schubert. A soprano and contralto sang duets of Schumann and Brahms. Although the first concerts presented local musicians, the new chamber organization soon brought in its first world-class group, the famous Flonzaley Quartet, an ensemble that dramatically raised the level of professionalism of the string quartet, serving as a forerunner of today’s full-time chamber ensembles. Virtually every important chamber ensemble made it to Buffalo, including the Budapest Quartet, Guarneri Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, Emerson Quartet, Juilliard Quartet, Beaux Arts Trio and many others. Among the soloists were the flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, cellist Leonard Rose and violinist Joseph Fuchs.
Today, the Society provides vigorous support to young musicians. Each year, winners from the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York are selected to perform by the Society in free Gift to the Community concerts. Sponsored by the Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation, the concerts have brought to Buffalo many musicians who are just beginning their careers. In 1995, the Society joined several other prominent chamber music presenters around the United States to sponsor the Cleveland Quartet Award, presented every two years to a promising young quartet and providing the winning ensemble with concert appearances around the country. And in 2002, the Society established the Silverman Scholarships, named in memory of Clare and Oscar Silverman, to be awarded to students from Erie County to pursue full-time music study.
