Our Story
“A perfect afternoon of music!”. “Amazing!” These are just some of the audience reactions to the performances of this outstanding group of international artists whose enthusiastic and dedicated following continues to grow with every concert.
The ChamberMusicBox journey originally started in the most unlikely of ways when, halfway through 2015, the weekly delivery of organic vegetables landed on the doorstep of the food-obsessed household of violinist Yuri Kalnits and cellist Julia Morneweg, both at that point already well-known on the chamber music circuit. As Julia marvelled at the wonderful quality and variety of these ingredients in her veg box that had led her to discover so many new flavours and recipes, a thought came to her mind: “Why not come up with a similar concept for chamber concerts? Why does it always have to be a whole programme of string quartets, piano trios or cello sonatas when there is so much fabulous chamber music repertoire out there that barely gets heard and we have so many amazing musician friends from all over the world to play it with?” She shared her thoughts over dinner with Yuri – a man well-accustomed to his other half’s late-night musings – and, several glasses of wine later, the idea had a name: ChamberMusicBox!
Six months later, in January 2016, the first ever CMB concert took place in the cosy surroundings of Burgh House in Hampstead, North London, a picturesque historic building and museum that became our first ‘home’ for two seasons. The artist roster grew quickly, with renowned soloists, members of leading ensembles and principals of top UK and European orchestras all joining forces to perform programmes that are as diverse as they are unique. Having outgrown the capacity of Burgh House by 2018, ChamberMusicBox moved its base to nearby Rosslyn Hill Chapel, a wonderful concert venue boasting ample space and a Steinway concert grand piano. In the first four seasons, more than 55 CMB artists from over 20 nations performed more than 60 different works ranging from duos to nonets!
Then came the 2020 season and with the arrival of Covid-19 everything changed. As lockdown #1 dragged on, the loss of live performance was keenly felt, by our musicians as much as by our audience. A couple of hastily arranged, but hugely successful, outdoor concerts confirmed our instincts that live chamber concerts had to return as quickly – and as safely – as possible. With our Hampstead base having decided to keep its doors shut to concerts until further notice, ChamberMusicBox suddenly found itself homeless, forcing a total rethink of our plans. With audiences not just in London, but especially further afield so deprived of live classical musical performance, our Artistic Directors and Trustees quickly agreed that we shouldn’t find “a” new venue, but as many as we could make Covid-secure on short notice. Within less than two weeks, we had agreed dates with venues in London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex and Suffolk and in early October we performed our first indoor concert since the start of the pandemic in front of a large, but socially distanced audience at St Cuthbert’s Earl’s Court. With the incredible support – both financial and otherwise – of our loyal and ever-growing audience, we managed to put on a sold-out autumn season of concerts in between lockdowns before everything ground to a halt once again in December 2020.
Little did anyone know that this silence would last for almost five months, but this painfully difficult period also gave birth to CMB’s most ambitious project to date: the ChamberMusicBox Fermata Festival in June 2021 that brought together concerts by some of the UK’s most renowned artists with an exhibition of over 100 visual artworks created by classical musicians during the pandemic. At once a celebration of the arts as well as a tribute to the sheer resilience, resourcefulness and indefatigability of those within the profession, the festival was featured in publications such as The Strad, Pizzicato, and Australia’s Limelight Magazine.
Since 2022 ChamberMusicBox continues to perform concerts of exceptional calibre across London and the rest of the UK, both in our own series as well as by invitation for some of the country’s leading chamber music promoters. Recent appearances include the 2023 Swaledale Festival, a tour of South West England for Concerts in the West, a recital at the London School of Economics as well our international debut in the prestigious Pharos Arts Foundation Series in Nicosia, Cyprus. We look forward to the next chapter of this unique journey that is made so special by the incredible talent, friendship and dedication of all those involved.
ChamberMusicBox is a registered charity and continues to be run entirely by its players and trustees.
Our Artists
Yuri Kalnits
violin
Anna Kandinskaya
violin
Vadim Tsibulevsky
violin
Evgenia Epstein
violin
Alicja Smietana
violin
Tom Aldren
violin
Maria Fiore Mazzarini
violin
Roger Chase
viola
Mikhail Bereznitsky
viola
Lisa Bucknell
viola
Kay Stephen
viola
Matthew Kettle
viola
Julia Morneweg
cello
Alexander Volpov
cello
Tim Lowe
cello
Pierre Doumenge
cello
Tony Hougham
double bass
Roger Vignoles
piano
Ilya Kondratiev
piano
Zeynep Özsuca
piano
Dina Duisen
piano
Simone Tavoni
piano
Kathryn Thomas
flute
Emanuel Abbühl
oboe
Chris O'Neal
oboe
Philip Haworth
oboe
Peter Cigleris
clarinet
Sacha Rattle
clarinet
Anthony Pike
clarinet
Igor Ahss
bassoon
Susana Dias
bassoon
Ashley Myall
bassoon
Martin Grainger
horn
Our Repertoire
Duos
- Beethoven Duo in G major for clarinet and bassoon WoO 27
- Dvorak 4 Romantic Pieces for violin and piano
- Franck Sonata in A major for cello and piano
- Handel/Halvorssen Passacaglia for violin and viola/cello
- Martinu Sonatina for clarinet and piano H.356
- Mozart Duo for violin and viola in G major K423
- Mozart Sonata for piano and violin in e minor K304
- Mozart Sonata for bassoon and cello in B flat major K292
- Poulenc Sonata for flute and piano
- Schnittke Moz-Art for two violins (1783/1976)
- Schubert Sonatina in a minor for violin and piano D385
- Schumann Fantasy Pieces for clarinet/cello and piano Op. 73
- Schumann Märchenbilder for viola and piano Op. 113
Quintets
- Bowen Phantasy Quintet for bass clarinet and string quartet
- Brahms String Quintet in G major Op. 111
- Brahms Clarinet Quintet Op. 115
- Debussy Danse Sacreé and Danse Profane for harp and string quartet
- Dvorak String Quintet in G major Op. 77
- Elgar Piano Quintet
- Faure Piano Quintet in d minor Op. 89
- Glazunov String Quintet Op. 39
- Jacob Suite for bassoon and string quartet
- Kaminski Quintet for clarinet, horn, violin, viola and cello
- Mozart Clarinet Quintet K581
- Mozart Horn Quintet K407
- Nielsen Serenata in Vano
- Prokofiev Quintet in g minor for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass
- Schubert String Quintet in C major D956
- Shostakovich Piano Quintet in g minor Op. 57
- Strauss Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders for violin, clarinet, bassoon, horn and double bass
Trios
- Arensky Piano Trio in d minor Op. 32
- Arnold Divertimento for flute, oboe and clarinet
- Beethoven Serenade for flute, violin and viola Op. 25
- Brahms Horn Trio Op. 40
- Bruch Eight Pieces for clarinet, viola and piano Op. 83
- Dohnanyi Serenade for string trio Op. 10
- Farrenc Trio for flute, cello and piano Op. 45
- Haydn London Trio in C major for flute, violin and cello
- Ibert Cinq Pièces en Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
- Glinka Trio Pathètique for clarinet, bassoon and piano
- Khachaturian Trio for clarinet, violin and piano
- Klein String Trio
- Kodaly Intermezzo for string trio
- Mozart Divertimento “The Marriage of Figaro” for two clarinets and bassoon
- Mozart Trio for clarinet, viola and piano “Kegelstatt” K498
- Piston Three Pieces for flute, clarinet and bassoon
- Rachmaninov Trio Élégiaque in d minor Op. 9
- Reger Serenade for flute, violin and viola
- Rota Trio for flute, violin and piano
- Schubert String Trio in B flat D471
- Schumann Märchenerzählungen for clarinet, viola and piano Op. 132
- Shostakovich Piano Trio no. 1 in c minor Op. 8
- Shostakovich Five Pieces for two violins and piano
- Sibelius Suite for string trio in A major
- Saint-Saens – Tarantella for flute, clarinet and piano
- Suk Elegy for piano trio
- Weinberg String Trio
- Whitlock Three Pieces for wind trio
Sextets
- Beethoven Sextet for two horns and string quartet Op. 81b
- Ireland Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet
- Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes for clarinet, string quartet and piano
- Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
- Strauss Sextet from ‘Capriccio’
- Tchaikovsky Souvenier de Florence for string sextet Op. 70
Quartets
- Arnold Oboe Quartet
- Brahms Piano Quartet in g minor Op. 25
- Britten Phantasy Quartet for oboe and string trio
- Copland Two Threnodies for flute and string trio
- Devienne Quartet for bassoon and string trio in g minor Op. 73 No. 3
- Elgar Andante and Allegro for oboe and string trio
- Jacob Four Fancies for flute and string quartet
- Mahler Piano Quartet in a minor
- Mozart Flute Quartet in D major K285
- Mozart Oboe Quartet K370
- Mozart Piano Quartet in g minor K478
- Ravel Chansons Madécasses for mezzo-soprano, flute, cello and piano
- Ravel String Quartet
Septets
- Beethoven Septet Op. 20
- Ravel Introduction & Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet
- Strauss (arr. Leopold) Metamorphosen for string septet
- Stravinsky Septet for clarinet, bassoon, horn, piano, violin, viola and cello
- Zemlinsky Maiblumen blühten überall for soprano and string sextet
Octets
- Balakirev Octet for flute, oboe, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano
Nonets
- Martinu Nonet flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass
Please contact our Artistic Directors for more options