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History of the
Asheville Chamber Music Series
Asheville is widely
recognized for its scenic views and recreational venues, the Biltmore
House and Thomas Wolfe. It is not so well known that this mountain
community has hosted some of the finest classical musicians in the world
over the past five decades. This season marks the fifty-eighth year of
the Asheville Chamber Music Series, which has sponsored over 240 concerts
in its distinguished history. It is one of the longest lasting chamber
music organizations in the United States.
In 1952, Joe Vandewart -- a refugee from Nazi Germany -- and ten other
music lovers organized the Asheville Chamber Music Series. Setting up a
table in the lobby of the Battery Park Hotel, they found some 800 people
willing to pay the $4 season subscription price for "an unspecified number
of concerts." The Alberni Trio gave the first concert on October 16, 1952.
Since then, chamber ensembles from around the world have visited Asheville
through the efforts of ACMS, including the world-class Budapest, Emerson,
Fine Arts, Juilliard, and Kodaly Quartets, along with trios, piano
quartets, quintets, larger chamber ensembles and duos featuring cellist
Janos Starker and flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal. The legendary Amadeus
Quartet performed in the first season and returned seven times, partly due
to the friendship and hospitality of Mr. Vandewart, who was a leading
force in the organization until his death in 1985. Each year, one concert
is designated as the Joe Vandewart/Annie Westall Memorial Concert. (Ms.
Westall, an Asheville native and tireless supporter, served on the board
from its second season until her death in 1984.)
For the first fourteen years, concerts were presented in the auditorium of
the David Millard Junior High School. After successive moves to Lipinsky
Auditorium at UNCA, the Asheville Community Theater and the Asheville
School, concerts since 1991 have taken place at the Unitarian Universalist
Church of Asheville, which offers a comfortable, intimate setting conducive to the
enjoyment of chamber music.
Chamber music has always attracted a more mature audience. Starting in the
late 1960s, a special fund has allowed students to attend concerts free of
charge. ACMS sponsors programs at local schools featuring the visiting
artists and a three-day music residency.
There have been difficult times, as one might expect over the course of a
half-century, but today the Asheville Chamber Music Series is flourishing,
with a growing and enthusiastic subscriber base providing the financial
stability (from both ticket sales and contributions) needed to continue
bringing world-class chamber music to Asheville.
Compiled by Grant Hardy
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