Hello from your neighborhood Membership Director! I’m back after a little post-CMA Conference breather, and what a whirlwind of chamber music it was in Houston—Wednesday evening to Sunday departure felt like a blink.

Thursday started strong with the ACMP x CMA Play-In at Rice University’s beautiful Shepherd School of Music. Over 30 musicians joined in, playing everything from standard string quartet repertoire to a Hindemith violin-clarinet duet—even Elizabethan songs for voice and strings. Since we had a good showing of winds and brass, the Beethoven septet was on the menu, as well as some interesting and unusual repertoire such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s quintet for winds and piano and Leoš Janácek’s Concertino for piano, two violins, viola, clarinet, French horn and bassoon. Walking through the rooms, listening, snapping photos, and meeting both long-time and new ACMP members was a highlight for me. Stephanie and I heard from several amateur players who told us how special it was and non-members were excited to join ACMP and keep the energy going. A huge shoutout to Stephanie for meticulously organizing every group—it was no small feat!

After wrapping up our final Timbre launch meetings, Friday morning began with the first of three Brandenburg Breakfasts— a great start to each day. The atmosphere was so fun, with a mix of professional musicians (including Stephanie), enthusiastic amateur players, and even the conference’s keynote speaker and celebrity chef, Kenji López-Alt ( whom Stephanie interviewed recently), all gathered around playing two of the concertos each day. I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, but trust me—it was as fun as it looks.

We also hosted an ACMP Amateur Hour. We received a lot of valuable feedback—what has been working, what could be improved, and ways to help ACMP better support our community. We’ve already started implementing some of these suggestions, and it was also just great to relax, chat about music, and connect with members in-person.

Between all of this, Stephanie and I kept the conversations going, spending time with members, local musicians and CMA members, while catching some truly outstanding chamber music performances from a variety of incredible groups.

To cap it all off, Stephanie and I made a visit to the Menil Collection, an absolute must-see in Houston. We didn’t expect to be serenaded by a woodwind trio in the museum, but there they were, filling the space with music—a perfect end to the trip. The Rothko Chapel and Cy Twombly Gallery were breathtaking, home to some truly wonderful works. If you ever find yourself in Houston, it’s well worth a visit. And while you’re there, don’t forget to connect with some of ACMP’s wonderful members in the area!

Until next time,
Joseph 

More Brandenburg photos!

More Play-In Photos!