The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) celebrates the legacy of its Founding Artistic Director, Charles Wadsworth, in two concerts in early May. A special gala evening will be held on May 1, with the program repeated on a subscription concert May 2.
Over the course of two decades, Wadsworth not only founded CMS and guided its growth into an important part of New York City’s cultural life; he also redefined chamber music for the latter half of the 20th century. Before CMS was founded, “chamber music� to most audiences meant string quartets, with the occasional piano trio or other standard ensemble. Wadsworth expanded the repertoire that audiences heard regularly, through less standard groupings of instruments as well as the frequent inclusion of singers.
CMS Co-Artistic Director David Finckel points to two of Wadsworth’s major innovations in the structure of the organization: the roster of individual musicians (as opposed to presentations of pre-formed groups, which had previously been the dominant model in the chamber music world) and the presence of multiple generations together on stage. Audiences were regularly treated to new combinations of players, and musicians of different ages could share their knowledge with one another. Finckel says that these two ideas “created a totally new landscape for chamber music, one that continues today not only at CMS, but all over the world.�
Another of Wadsworth’s major contributions was the way he made chamber music accessible. He was beloved by audiences for his humor on stage, and he always took time to explain the music on a given program. CMS Co-Artistic Director Wu Han remembers, “Charles’s style of speaking to the audience was such a joy. He wanted to communicate, to help the audience understand; he pulled people into this beautiful world. The way he made sure everybody was comfortable around this art form is something I admire so, so much.�
Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, who will be joining the program in May, appeared frequently on concerts in CMS’s early seasons at Wadsworth’s invitation. In a recent interview with filmmaker Tristan Cook, creator of a short film about Wadsworth that will be premiered at the gala, von Stade spoke fondly of his humor and welcoming disposition, which “removed the nerves, the tension, all the things that surround music making. . . . You always felt safe with Charles there, safe that he was going to give you the space to find the correction he suggested. An ideal situation!� She also spoke about his commitment to passing down knowledge, both to audiences and to younger musicians. “In today’s world, where art is presented to most people as an explosion of stuff—of visual stuff, of aural stuff, of everything—their ears are getting farther and farther from the ability to go into that place that music takes you. . . . Charles was a born teacher in every way. And I think an enormous part of his legacy is looking ahead, looking to the musicians after those he was working with at the time, leaving something that has endured.�
Violinist Ani Kavafian, a regular on CMS stages since Wadsworth invited her to join the roster in 1972, recalls his egalitarian nature in working with musicians of different generations. “Charles wouldn’t talk to you as if you were a young upstart. He would put you on an even level with everyone, and he wouldn’t make you feel that you were less experienced or that you shouldn’t say much and just play your part. He would always ask for your opinions—especially when he was playing.�
One way in which the May concerts honor Wadsworth is by mirroring his unique style of programming. The concert begins with the same piece that opened the very first CMS concert on September 11, 1969: the Trio Sonata in C major for Two Violins and Continuo by Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. At the time of that inaugural concert, the piece was believed to be by Johann Sebastian Bach, with catalog number BWV 1037. Subsequent scholarship has revealed it to be written by Goldberg—the composer and keyboardist whose name is now associated with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, as he is thought to have been its original performer. Nevertheless, the C-major Trio Sonata was the first piece played on a CMS Concert in the then-new Alice Tully Hall, and this program begins by taking the audience back to those first notes.
An additional key component of the program is vocal music, which was a particular interest of Wadsworth’s. Featured singers include soprano Amanda Batista, mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, tenor Ben Bliss, and baritone Thomas Hampson. This extraordinary cast will perform songs by Robert Schumann, with acclaimed pianist Ken Noda.
French music made frequent appearances on Wadsworth’s concerts, and he also loved programming chamber music that employs unusual combinations beyond the standard trios and quartets. To that end, this program concludes with Camille Saint-Saëns’s Septet in E-flat major for Trumpet, Two Violins, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, and Piano, Op. 65, a piece that first appeared on the CMS stage in 1973 with a cast of CMS regulars and a young Michael Tilson Thomas at the keyboard.
Wadsworth’s imprint on CMS can still be felt in so many ways. He believed strongly in taking chamber music on tour, even from the earliest seasons, in order to share the art form beyond Lincoln Center and the New York City arts community. Today, touring throughout the United States and around the world has become a major part of CMS’s activities, with more than eighty touring performances during the 2024�25 season. Another crucial priority for Wadsworth was recording. One reason CMS has such a wealth of recordings in its archive, and continues to record every New York City performance, is that Wadsworth started the tradition of documentation and recording from the very beginning. Many early performances were broadcast on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center, bringing world-class chamber music into homes around the country. That legacy continues now with CMS’s extensive digital archive, live-streamed performances, and Digital Encores.
From repertoire to casting, and from audience accessibility to touring and recording, the foundation Wadsworth laid allows present-day CMS to retain the core values he established.
The Wadsworth Legacy gala evening on May 1 includes a cocktail reception, a chamber music performance crafted in Wadsworth’s signature style with a cast of superb musicians, and a fun and festive seated dinner with the artists to follow. For information on tickets and tables, please call (212) 875-5216. On May 2, a subscription concert, Schumann and Saint-Saëns: The Wadsworth Legacy, features the same program and artists. For tickets and more information, please visit .
