Friends of Chamber Music

Music in the Galleries: Nicolò Spera, guitar
2026-09-13 12:00 - 13:45 (America/Denver) | Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock Street, Denver, CO, 80204, United States
FCM welcomes Italian guitarist Nicolò Spera for our first Music in the Galleries of the season, performing a program for 6-string and 10-string guitars that explores old and new musical languages from the Old and the New Continents.
Nicolò is one of the few guitarists in the world to perform on both six-string and ten-string guitars, as well as on the theorbo. Committed to commissioning substantial works that explore unprecedented ways of writing for guitar, Nicolò has commissioned, performed, and recorded new works ranging from solos to programs with choirs, small ensembles, and orchestras.
Nicolò holds degrees from the Conservatory of Bolzano and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, an Artist Diploma in Guitar Performance at the University of Denver, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2011, Nicolò was appointed to the faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he is Associate Professor of Classical Guitar.
This classical Sunday afternoon will include two identical concerts at noon and 1 p.m. Performances are included with museum admission. For tickets purchased online, FCM patrons receive $2 off adult and senior tickets with code MUSIC.
Seating is limited and first come, first served. The music may be enjoyed from any gallery.

Presented in collaboration with the

Isidore String Quartet & Jeremy Denk, piano
2026-09-27 16:00 - 18:00 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
One of today’s most exciting young ensembles, the Isidore String Quartet joins forces with pianist Jeremy Denk for a powerful season-opening concert. Winners of the 2022 Banff Competition, the Isidore Quartet brings fearless energy and fresh insight to Schumann’s radiant Piano Quintet in E-flat Major and Brahms’s passionate F Minor Quintet, with MacArthur Fellow Denk adding his signature imagination and wit.
“The group “exude[s] everything that can make a string quartet a joyful experience….” – Seen and Heard International
“The real inspiration was Jeremy Denk, who is an incredible musician, a virtuoso and a wonderful collaborator.” – NPR
This event will be livestreamed.

Gabriela Montero, piano
2026-10-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
Gabriela Montero’s visionary interpretations and unique compositional gifts have garnered her critical acclaim and a devoted following around the world. In her series debut, Montero presents a program inspired by the music of Spain—rich in color, rhythm, and expressive freedom, including works by Albéniz, Granados, Larrocha, and Scarlatti, with Liszt’s Spanish Rhapsody closing the program.
“Montero’s playing had everything: crackling rhythmic brio, subtle shadings, steely power…soulful lyricism…unsentimental expressivity.” – The New York Times
Presented in partnership with the Colorado State Music Teachers Association
NOTE: This Sunday concert will be presented at 7:30 PM.
This event will be livestreamed.

Music in the Galleries: ReSound
2026-11-08 12:00 - 13:45 | Clyfford Still Museum, 1250 Bannock Street, Denver, CO, 80204, United States
Denver-based ReSound brings together solo voice and string quartet in an adventurous chamber music experience spanning classical, jazz, and popular song. Founded by vocalist Kali Paguirigan and violinist Leena Waite, the ensemble draws on musicians performing with the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado, Colorado Ballet, and beyond.
Their programming — from Debussy and Caroline Shaw to Sting, Talking Heads, and Punch Brothers — moves fluidly across genres, weaving the human voice with bowed strings to express the full range of emotion. Program will include the following:

Balderrama by Gustavo “Cuchi” Leguizamón, arr. by Colin Jacobsen
Montagne que tu es haute – French Folk Song, arr. by Jacob Garchik
Camille Claudel: Into the Fire by Jake Heggie (select movements)

Since their October 2022 debut, ReSound has performed at the Clyfford Still Museum, Dazzle, Highlands Ranch Mansion Chamber Series, and the Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower, among other beloved Denver venues.
Kali Paguirigan, voice
Leena Waite & Robyn Julyan, violins
Rebekah Durham, viola
Erin Finckel Patterson, cello
This event will include two identical concerts at noon and 1 p.m. Performances are included with museum admission.
For tickets purchased online, FCM patrons receive $2 off adult and senior tickets with code MUSIC.

Seating is limited and first come, first served. The music may be enjoyed from any gallery.
Presented in collaboration with the

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra & Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
2026-11-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
The acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra returns to our series in a much-anticipated performance, performing works by Handel, Haydn, and Mozart. Joined by award-winning British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in her FCM debut, this electrifying program showcases the magic that happens when world-class artists come together in true musical partnership. The program includes a world premiere by composer Katie Jenkins, co-commissioned through FCM’s Commissioning Initiative.
“Playing with perfect unanimity, [Orpheus] performances have polish and spirit, and display an infectious love for making music.” – The New York Times
“She plays with unreserved power when necessary, thundering forth full-bodied chords that combine sonorous weight and perfectly rounded edges.”
– San Francisco Chronicle
This event will be livestreamed.

Nikolai Lugansky, piano
2027-01-24 16:00 - 18:00 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
Described by Gramophone as “the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all,” Nikolai Lugansky is making his long-awaited solo debut on our series. Lugansky will lend his extraordinary depth and versatility to two Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Op. 31 and Op. 109, as well as Schumann’s Fantasie in C Major.
“Lugansky’s passion radiates and his piano sings and thunders like an orchestra… ” – Bachtrack
This event will NOT be livestreamed.

Danish String Quartet
2027-02-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
A favorite of FCM audiences, the Danish String Quartet is one of the world’s most renowned string quartets, performing to sold-out concert halls around the world. Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year, the quartet will perform works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Gabriella Smith’s Carrot Revolution.
“A concert that was as comprehensively rewarding as any chamber music performance in recent memory… Do not lose track of this group: Even by today’s high standards, it offers something very special.” — The Boston Globe

Pavel Haas Quartet
2027-03-14 16:00 - 18:00 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
Based in Prague, the Pavel Haas Quartet is celebrated worldwide for its rich sound, infectious passion, and intuitive rapport. A five-time Gramophone Award winner and named one of BBC Music Magazine’s 10 greatest string quartets of all time, the quartet brings Czech soul and classical mastery to Beethoven’s Op. 135, Janáček’s Kreutzer Sonata, and Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 14.
“It’s their lightness of touch that commands; the subtle nuances of color, line and texture performed with almost spectral intensity.”– BBC Music Magazine
This event will be livestreamed.

Anthony McGill, clarinet & Conrad Tao, piano
2027-04-05 19:30 - 21:30 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
Hailed by The New York Times for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character,” clarinet virtuoso Anthony McGill joins pianist–composer Conrad Tao for an exhilarating evening of chamber music. The program will feature Brahms’s beloved Clarinet Sonata alongside Berg’s 4 Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, as well as a new work by Conrad Tao. This powerful collaboration brings together two artists shaping the future of classical music.
Anthony McGill is “…a captivating virtuoso on the stage, and a longtime advocate for social change extending beyond it…” — The New York Times
Conrad Tao was “…adventurous, agile and often electrifying as he navigated works both contemporary and classical.” — The New York Times
This event will be livestreamed.

Imani Winds
2027-05-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Gates Hall, Newman Center, 2344 E. Iliff Ave., Denver, CO, 80208, United States
For nearly three decades, the GRAMMY-winning Imani Winds has revolutionized and reimagined the wind quintet. Closing our season with their program, Take Flight, the ensemble explores freedom, migration, and the beauty of nature through soaring melodies. Program highlights include Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, August Read Thomas’s Avian Escapades, and a world premiere arrangement of Charlie Parker’s Yardbird Suite.
“Imani’s performance was brilliant—intense, dynamic and wildly colorful.” – Oregon Live
This event will be livestreamed.
