Since 2014 NOLA Chamber Fest has encouraged, inspired, and motivated musicians through the experience of tight-knit collaboration and artistic independence that only chamber music can offer. We provide learning and performance opportunities for elementary, middle and high school-aged musicians, college and graduate ensembles, community musicians and today’s top emerging professional talent. Collaboratively presented by Lyrica Baroque, the New Orleans Friends of Music, and the University of New Orleans, NOLA Chamber Fest continues to thrive as a meaningful educational and artistic opportunity. 

COVID-19 brought significant challenges and hardships. We presented NCF virtually for two years and were inspired by the ways participants, students, and educators thought creatively and collaboratively to continue playing chamber music through such immense challenges. It was an unforgettable year and we were excited to look towards the future.

Our 2022 hybrid festival was all about genre fluidity. We had new, exciting events, fantastic guest artists, and were are so excited to welcome our 2022 Community Partners for our newest venture – Creativity Day! Creativity Day was a day dedicated to exploring chamber music, improvisation and collaboration. NCF Director Ben Atherholt coached five student ensembles throughout the year to prepare them for the festival. To honor the contributions of musicians of color, ensembles were required to prepare two musical works, with one being written by an underrepresented composer. Creativity Day began with masterclasses led by Trenton Thomas and Tadeu Coelho on improvisation and  culminated in a chamber music showcase performance featuring the student ensembles representing our community partner institutions.

Crescent City String Academy
Palacios House of Arts
The Roots of Music

Photo credit: Kayla Picquet

Photo credit: Jon Tenholder

Lyrica Baroque is so proud of NOLA Chamber Fest 2021. We want to extend a huge thank you to our co-presenters, the New Orleans Friends of Music and the University of New Orleans, and our sponsors Threadhead Cultural Foundation and Associated Chamber Music Players. 

After much discussion with our collaborators, team members, and guest artists, we decided to present NCF 2021 100% virtually. Advanced preparation went into the festival so that we could pivot quickly and efficiently to an online platform. 

The biggest change was that all ensembles needed to submit a video recording. We created wonderful resources to help every step of the way. Learning to use technology is part of our continually evolving industry and we were excited to help our participants embark down this path! Check out our Recording Resources video and read through our Resources PDF Guide available on our resources page.

Our virtual festival opened with the Catalyst Quartet, presented by the University of New Orleans, performing via livestream “Uncovered: the string quartets of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Florence B. Price and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.” Over the course of time, there have been many overlooked composers in classical music, especially due to their race or gender. It is important to realize that we have not yet heard the entire story due to the sidelining of these musical voices. Catalyst also gave a masterclass for students in the Orquestra Jovem Recanto Maestro program from Brazil. The weekend continued with a Panel Discussion and instrument specific masterclasses via Zoom with our guest artists judges Dr. Robert Young, Kathleen Winkler, and Marina Lomazov, our Interface Masterclass for winning ensembles with the Aizuri Quartet and a very special Junior Division masterclass. The festival culminated with the Aizuri Quartet performing “What’s Past is Prologue” via live stream and presented by the New Orleans Friends of Music. With works spanning from very old to very new, participants and audience members were immersed into the music of interesting and often overlooked composers such as Hildegard von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi, Nina C. Young, Gabriella Smith, Rhiannon Giddens, and Eleanor Alberga.

NOLA Chamber Fest during COVID-19

On March 12th, it became evident that NOLA Chamber Fest was going to have to be canceled, or at least altered, in order to fit the demands of quarantine life and move forward safely. What has since transpired is a beautiful example of the collaborative and communal nature of chamber music in New Orleans.

Chamber music is not easy to teach online. It is one of the most intimate forms of music making, and is all about the ways we interact in a room with our fellow musicians – through vibrations, eye contact, breathing, and body language. It is difficult to convey these things online and therefore hard to teach and learn without being in person. 

Nevertheless, educators did not falter. We saw coaches continuing to teach online and invest time and energy into finding ways to keep the spirit of chamber music alive and well in their students. Student ensembles began researching this year’s guest artist judges for the season and discovering various recordings of pieces they were working on or admired. Chamber music coaches expressed how distraught their students were, knowing they would no longer be able to compete and perform in person for NOLA Chamber Fest. There were phone calls, emails, and texts back and forth about how to keep students engaged, and even more importantly, how to continue keeping the chamber music experience a source of hope and joy during all the confusion and uncertainty. 

So we moved forward and set up the festival online with our collaborators. Ensembles submitted recordings made before social distancing took effect, including old performances, rehearsal videos, or old coaching sessions. Our UNO sponsored guest artist judges, Leone Busye, Randy Gardner, and Peter Stumpf, crafted in depth feedback for all participating ensembles. We are honored to have had these judges with us. Their expertise and knowledge is sought after and cherished all over the globe.

The Escher String Quartet was our guest artist ensemble this year, sponsored by the New Orleans Friends of Music. Together with Escher and ensemble coaches, we were able to craft intimate and personalized group classes that took place through Zoom. Performing in masterclasses in front of an audience with your chamber ensembles is one thing. Performing alone online for over 70 people is another! Congratulations to all of this year’s participants. Your courage is inspiring, as is your perseverance and desire to keep learning and growing no matter the circumstances.

WindSync Masterclass

Junior Division Masterclass

Winners Showcase Performance

Photo Credit: Aaron Sarles

The Competition

NCF 2018 was our biggest year yet with the addition of our Junior Division (4th-8th grade) and ensembles from all over the Gulf South region competing including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Hattiesburg, MS and Mobile, AL. Participants received videos of their competition performance produced by David Pittman and Always Video Production, along with detailed comments from our judges. Judges for 2018 were John Reeks, Robert Nunez and Ila Rondeau from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Winning groups received a cash award and first place winners performed in master class for the world renowned Miró Quartet and guest artist Steve Cohen.

Junior Division Medals

Crescent City String Quartet – 1st prize (gold medal)
Amelia Brencick, violin
Ayi Ekhause, violin
Annette Pelle, viola
Miles Lemmler, cello

Lusher Chamber Kids Quintet – 2nd prize (silver medal)
Matthew Scarmuzza, alto sax
Solon Love, trumpet
Jacob Abboud-Joffe, trumpet
Andre Escamilla, trumpet
Ryan Dufour, flute

Lusher Middle School String Ensemble – 3rd prize (bronze medal)
Eleanore Guichet, violin
Stella Bourke, violin
Keiffer Ary, violin
Julia Monconduit, violin
Grace Fortune, violin
Grace Gorman, violin
Elasade Bingham, viola
Rylie Breaux-Collins, viola
Sophie Ettinger, cello
Kara Daveron, cello

Barbara Philleo High School Division Awards

Armonia Duo – 1st Prize
Grace Collins, violin
Jonathan Cole, piano

Duo de Guacamole – 2nd Prize
Nile Hedrick, cello
Kaleb Conger, bassoon

Jazzical Brass Quintet – 3rd Prize
Trevon Sullen, trumpet
Maxwell Arceneaux, french horn
Kerry Lewis, trombone
Eli Boudreaux, trombone
Michael Solomon, euphonium

Jonathan McCall College Division Awards

Deux Amis – 1st Prize
Tyler Bourque, clarinet
John Robken, bassoon

Bayou Brass Quintet – 2nd Prize
Ross Boudreaux, trumpet
Hannah Weber, trumpet
Francisco Mondrago, french horn
Colton Johnson, bass trombone
Chris Bradley, tenor trombone

University of South Alabama Woodwind Quintet– 3rd Prize
Rebecca Reinhardt, flute
Sam Sangster, oboe
Alexys Bush, clarinet
Dustin Miller, horn
Christopher Law, bassoon

Drs. Ranney & Emel Songu Mize Graduate Division Awards

Magnolia Quartet – 1st Prize
Taylor Assa, soprano saxophone
Kara Capell, alto saxophone
Alexia Perez, tenor saxophone
Michael Wilson, baritone saxophone

LSU Graduate Quintet – 2nd Prize
Yuh-Jiun Wan, flute
Kristen Bundy, oboe
Wilbert Gilley, clarinet
Marcus Westbrook, bassoon
Joseph Meinweiser, horn

Ina Duo – 3rd Prize
Sofia Potdevin, clarinet
Rodrigo Lara Alonso, guitar

Community Division Awards

New Orleans Trombone Choir – 1st Prize
Ken Williamson, Eli Boudreaux, Dylan Watson, Bo Dingus, Dave Schneider, Donna Thompson, Chris Munch, John Risey- trombone

Inter Pares – 2nd Prize
John O’Donnel, violin
Pierre Vigué, violin
Kelly Moncheski, viola
Nick Passabet, cello

Minkema-Caplan Duo – 3rd Prize
Megan Minkema, cello
Jonathan Caplan, piano

The Winners Masterclass

The judges selected these four groups to perform in the Masterclass for the Miró Quartet on Sunday, April 8th at 10:00 am in Nunemaker Hall at Loyola:

Armonia Duo
Deux Amis
Magnolia Quartet
New Orleans Trombone Choir

The Winners Showcase

The judges selected these groups to perform for the Winners Showcase on Monday April 9th at 6:00 pm in Roussel Hall at Loyola University (just before the Miró Quartet’s performance):

Crescent City String Quartet
Armonia Duo
Deux Amis
Magnolia Quartet
New Orleans Trombone Choir

Congratulations to all who participated in NOLA Chamber Fest 2017! It was an incredibly inspiring festival featuring talent from across the region and the amazing Harlem Quartet as the guest artists!

The Competition

Participants from New Orleans, Destrehan, Hammond, and Baton Rouge competed for prizes in High School, College, Graduate, and Community Divisions on April 1, 2017 at Loyola University’s Nunemaker Auditorium. This year’s judges Bruce Owen, Mollie Pate, and Michael Matushek from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra chose the following prizewinners:

High School Division

Fiero Quartet, 1st prize (gold medal)
Erina Buchholz, violin
Lena Cates, violin
Jaime Pellicero-Calvo, viola
Sean Parker, cello

Bridge Winds, 2nd prize (silver medal)
Ethan Lanier, euphonium
David Lea, alto saxophone
Brandon Wood, trumpet
Hannah Freitas, flute/piccolo
Ayden Dejean, tuba
Jordan Price, horn

NOLA Woodwind Quintet, 3rd prize (bronze medal)
Scott Ng, flute
Samantha Siliezar, oboe
Patherson Rodas, clarinet
Kirpal Rodas, bassoon
Maxwell Sarceneaux, horn

College Division

Walker-Thomas Duo, 1st prize (gold medal)
Chadwick Thomas, clarinet
Daniel Walker, saxophone

Terpsichore Trio, 2nd prize (silver medal)
Katie Woodward, flute
Alyssa Cruse, oboe
Rebecca Whitney, piano

Graduate Division

Lin-Diniz-Thomas Trio, 1st prize (gold medal, Jonathan McCall Award)
Chadwick Thomas, clarinet
Caio Diniz, cello
Zih-Yun Lin, piano

Chimes Street Quartet, 2nd prize (silver medal)
Jonathan Dufresne, soprano saxophone
Joshua Poché, alto saxophone
Taylor Barbay Assad, tenor saxophone
Thomas Odenheimer, baritone saxophone

Helicon Quintet, 3rd prize (bronze medal)
Jang Hyun Thomas Kim, clarinet
Marta Turianska, violin
SungKyung Woo, violin
Serhiy Matviychuk, viola
Vasyl Kuvayskov, cello

Community Division

New Orleans Trombone Choir, 1st prize (gold medal, Adler Award)
John Risey, Ken Williamson, Chris Munch, Donna Thompson, David Schneider, Russ Ramsey, Wyatt Newman, Eugenie Salvant, Jacob St Pierre, trombones

For the full competition schedule, click here.

The Winners Showcase + Harlem Quartet’s Performance

The Grammy Award winning Harlem Quartet performed on the New Orleans Friends of Music Concert Series on Friday, April 7th at Loyola University’s Roussel Hall for the participants and an enthusiastic audience of chamber music lovers.

These groups performed on the Winners Showcase in Roussel Hall just before the Harlem Quartet’s performance:
New Orleans Trombone Choir
Bridge Winds
Chimes Street Quartet
Walker-Thomas Duo
Lin-Diniz-Thomas Trio
Fiero Quartet

Photo credit: SunKim Photography

The Winners Masterclass

These groups performed in the Winners Masterclass with the Harlem Quartet on Saturday, April 8th in Nunemaker Hall at Loyola:
Fiero Quartet
Walker-Thomas Duo
Lin-Diniz-Thomas Trio
New Orleans Trombone Choir

For the Winners Masterclass program, click here.
Photo credit: On-Location Photography

Imani Winds were the guest artists for the Fest, leading an insightful and entertaining Winners Masterclass and performing an inspiring concert on the New Orleans Friends of Music concert series.

The Competition

2016 was the first year the competition was open to musicians from all over the Gulf South region. Participants from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Hammond, and Hattiesburg, MS competed for prizes in High School and University Divisions. A panel of judges from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra chose the following prizewinners:

High School Division

Eclectic Trio, 1st prize/Adler Award (gold medal)
Amanda Lucas, flute
Logan Lambert, clarinet
Nicolette Cash, saxophone

Fiero Quartet, 2nd prize (silver medal)
Erina Buchholz, violin
Lena Cates, violin
Jaime Pellicero-Calvo, viola
Sean Parker, cello

NOCCA Duo, 3rd prize (bronze medal)
Grace Collins, violin
Victoria Seaward, piano

University Division

West Chimes Winds, 1st prize/Drs. Ranney and Emel Mize Award (gold medal)
Maria Castillo, flute
Grace Woodworth, oboe
Nathaniel Adcock, clarinet
Centria Brown, horn
Molly Murphy, bassoon

Highland Trio, 2nd prize (silver medal)
Jada Alexander, flute
Chadwick Thomas, clarinet
Miguel Posadas, bassoon

Red Stick Trio, 3rd prize (bronze medal)
Samuel Schreiber, clarinet
Hannah Phyllis Urdea Marcus, violin
Keilor Kastella, piano

For the complete competition schedule, click here.

The competition was held in the recital hall at Tulane University on April 9, 2016. Congratulations to all the groups who performed! Photos by Margaret Shields.

The Masterclass

Three groups were selected to perform in the Masterclass held in Nunemaker Auditorium at Loyola University. The Eclectic Trio, Highland Trio, and West Chimes Winds impressed both the audience and Imani Winds with their fantastic performances! Afterwards, all the prizewinners were awarded medals. Photo credit: SunKim Photography.

For the complete masterclass program, click here.

The Winners Showcase Performance

Four groups performed in the Winners Showcase just outside of Dixon Hall at Tulane University before Imani Winds’ performance. Photo Credit: SunKim Photography.

In 2015, we hosted our first competition. There were two categories: High School and College, and participants from all over the Greater New Orleans area turned out for the fest. A panel of judges from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra chose the following prizewinners:

Loyola Brass Quintet, 1st Place, College Division, Grand Prize Winner
Tyler Lindsay, trumpet
Karl Robinson, trumpet
Kieron Oliver, horn
Matt Sutton, trombone
Andrew Markel, tuba

Reinecke Trio, 2nd Place, College Division
Fanny Friadt, viola
Jordan Peota, clarinet
Yifei Wang, piano

The Liam Oliver Quintet, 1st Place, High School Division
Liam Oliver, oboe
Taylor Sparacello, clarinet
Alea Zone, violin
Lili Cerise, viola
Jud Mitchell, bass

Flute/Harp Duo, 2nd Place, High School Division
Hannah McDuffie, flute
April Simmons, harp

Congratulations to the 2015 prizewinners!

This was also our first year collaboratively organizing the festival with New Orleans Friends of Music. World renown piano-wind trio, the Poulenc Trio led the Winners Masterclass and performed on the Friends of Music Concert Series. The 2015 fest was generously supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.