By Michael Johns
USCB Chamber Music’s 47th season kicks off at 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, and it promises to be a great musical exploration featuring Artistic Director, pianist, and effusive host Andrew Armstrong’s usual blend of established and rising chamber music artists and classical masterpieces spanning centuries and continents are certain to delight.
Together they ensure the CFA pulsates with bold, insightful performances coupled with youthful exuberance. Armstrong’s stewardship of the series has built on the legacy he inherited and raised it to new levels: the new season is our second season of all seats sold out by subscription.
Now entering his sixth season as sole Artistic Director, Armstrong has put his stamp on USCB Chamber Music by introducing new composers, compositions, concerts, and instruments while continuing to honor the great works of the chamber music repertoire, re-engage audience-favorite performers, and unveil polished young artists. New patrons and decades-long subscribers have been amazed and charmed by his wit and ready smile, dazzling piano technique, and soul-searching expressive capacity.
An outspoken advocate for the communicative power of instrumental music to excite, soothe, educate, heal, and bring us together, Armstrong believes the chamber-music genre gives voice to feelings words cannot communicate and its transformative power is most deeply experienced in the communal environment of live performance. If you can secure a seat this season, you will most likely leave the hall a devotee!
Joining Armstrong to start the season will be violinist Geneva Lewis, “clearly one to watch” (Musical America), violist Emad Zolfaghari, “enthralling young viola soloist overflowing with imagination and conviction” (Violin Channel), frequent guests cellist Raphael Bell, and bassist Marguerite Cox.
The new year continues on Jan. 10, 2027, with percussionist I-Jen Fang “intrepid percussionist” (Fanfare Magazine) and returning pianist Orion Weiss. Feb. 7, 2027, features violinist Simone Porter “on the cusp of a major career” (LA Times).
March 7, 2027, brings a gaggle of winds: flutist Sooyun Kim, “a rare virtuoso of the flute” (Libération), oboist Elizabeth Koch Tiscione, (principal oboe of Atlanta Symphony at age 21), returning clarinetist Yoonah Kim, bassoonist Harrison Hollingsworth, (Principal Bassoon, New York City Ballet Orchestra), and hornist David Byrd-Marrow “stunning and assured” (New York Times).
These artists will also be Armstrong’s guest on the fourth annual Children’s Concert on Saturday, March 6. Invite your children and grandchildren; even better, invite yourself and some young people. The $25 adult tickets for this hour of music and conversation give you an opportunity to discover the artists and music this Series brings to Beaufort.
April 4, 2027, features violinist Nathan Meltzer, (prize winner in Concert Artist Guild, Sibelius, and Singapore Violin Competitions), and cellist Brannon Cho “burnished tone, spellbinding technique, and probing musical mind” (Boston Classical Review).
The first concert, at 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, has tuneful whimsy, lush elegance, captivating delicacy, trance-like contemplation, and a perfectly crafted, much beloved work that exquisitely blends classical balance and order with romantic spontaneity and ardor. Valse Miniature, Serge Koussevitzky’s delightful double bass show-piece, leads off. Rebecca Clarke’s spritely, passionate, and heroic Viola Sonata (1918), is filled with the woodland warmth of Vaughn-Williams, piquant harmonies of Debussy and Ravel, and sturdy character of its composer. It is now a viola recital staple.
Two short pieces, Nocturne and Cantique by sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger offer peace and reflection. Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer of classical and sacred music. Fratres (1977) for violin and piano has a meditative tempo, spare texture, and mystical, chant-like sense of suspension. The second half is reserved for Franz Schubert’s piano-and-strings Quintet in A Major, “Trout,” one of his most sublime and warmhearted instrumental works. Melodies are tuneful, almost rustic, and shared by all, as if in friendly conversation. The “Trout” Quintet’s most compelling aspect, however, is its overarching spirit of good cheer, contented peace of mind, warm sunshine, and youthful optimism.
From November to April, this stunning array of 15 talented performers who have been lauded by peers, hailed by media reviewers and competition committees, and awarded positions of stature in ensembles, orchestras, and music schools will provide live and virtual ticket holders with a memorable season of classical music.
There are three ways to enjoy each concert: in person at the Arts Center and virtually by Live-Stream and OnDemand. All virtual concerts are professionally produced. Great viewing opportunities abound; it is the closest, most intimate seat in the house!
On the Wednesday before each concert, live and virtual ticket holders receive an email with a link to Sunday’s concert. OnDemand is accessible four days after the concert and available to view at your leisure for three weeks. Each Friday before a concert, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) presents Inside the Music, a two-hour, general audience, deep dive into Sunday’s repertoire.
Michael Johns provides multiple recorded excerpts and commentary, acclimating listeners to what they will hear on Sunday. Classes are free and open to the public. For concerts, artists, events, OLLI, and ticket information, go to www.uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-208-8246, Monday through Friday. The first concert of the season is Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 5:00 pm at the USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret Street, Beaufort, in the downtown historic district.