For their 56^th Summer Festival, CMNW will convene more than 70 of the world’s finest chamber musicians—from piano and voice to winds and strings—to bring dozens of beloved classics, rarely performed masterpieces, and contemporary compositions of boundless variety to life from June 25 to July 19. 

The 2026 Festival boasts four special events: “modern-day Mozart” Kit Armstrong performs Liszt, Oregon Bach Festival with Bach’s Celebratory Cantatas, George Takei and Kenji Bunch’s Lost Freedom: A Memory, and the return of four-time Grammy Award-winning mandolinist Chris Thile.

As the festival unfolds, each week explores a different confluence of traditions, beginning with Sounds of America in celebration of the diversity of “America at 250.” From the iconic rhythms and harmonies of Bernstein’s West Side Story and Copland’s Appalachian Spring to spirituals, jigs, and an homage to the American Indian Southwest, this celebratory opening week paints a vivid musical portrait of the nation.

Week two, Songs from Home honors the richness of global voices and the nostalgic sounds of homelands. The Indian-inspired soundscapes of Reena Esmail, the Estonian stories from Lembit Beecher’s grandmother, and the Czech-flavored melodies of Janáček and Dvořák all illuminate how identity and memory shape musical expression.

In the fourth week, Musical Postcards celebrates how cultures encounter and transform one another. Brahms’s admiration of the fiery Hungarian musical spirit, Tchaikovsky’s fond memories of sojourns in Italy, and two world premieres inspired by Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus and Nina Simone embody the sharing of stories across time and place.

Unity brings the festival to an exuberant close with universal classics such as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango, and masterworks by Robert Schumann and Mozart.

Chamber Music Northwest invites the community to join in this confluence of voices, histories, and traditions that are woven together into a living musical tapestry.

Celebrate the diversity of classical music with us this summer—let us enliven and expand your musical palette! We promise you’ll be impressed and enjoy your experience with us!

Chamber Music Northwest’s Summer Festival

June 25–July 19

Curating Extraordinary Musical Experiences Citywide

70+ Artists | 70+ Pieces of Music | 3 Premieres | 3 CMNW Commissions | 70+ Events

Your Summer Musical Adventure Awaits…EXPLORE HERE!

P.S. Don’t forget to enjoy a PICNIC DINNER when you attend a concert at Reed College! Make it a full evening experience! Come early and either pack or purchase your meal onsite and enjoy dinner al fresco on the lawn under the giant maple tree!