Lecture with Dr. Paul Berry: Chamber Music Foundations

The 2025 Seattle Chamber Music Society Winter Festival (Jan24-Feb2) offers a two-week exploration of arguably the richest century in chamber music: 1850-1900 and 1900-1950. In anticipation of the concerts, SCMS is thrilled to host two online lectures by Dr. Paul Berry, Deputy Dean and Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Music History at the Yale School of Music.

Both lectures will be interactive and open-ended. We’ll listen to examples from several pieces to get your ears ready for the concerts to come, and we’ll be guided in part by whatever questions you bring to the table. Both events are free, but registration is required. Join us on Zoom to discover the rich history of these remarkable eras in music.

The second lecture will build on the first, exploring the broadening landscape of chamber music from 1900 to 1950. In a period of revolution, global war, and overwhelming change, how did composers reflect or redirect the social and political currents around them? How did the emergence of new instruments and the rise of professional musicians reshape the genres of the past and the way audiences related to them? Why did so many chamber works of the 20th century turn to folk music for inspiration, and what meanings did listeners perceive when they heard familiar melodies in a new context?