Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck

08/24/2026

During week 5, we were swept away by the precision and thoughtful artistry of the Westhuizen Duo! Their carefully curated program demonstrated the versatility of the repertoire for piano four hands. We also had a festival “first” as Yu Xin and Bruce Uchimura joined the duo to perform a trio for piano four hands, violin and cello.

08/21/2026

During week 4 of our festival, we enjoyed the immense talents of Erinys Quartet not only on the SWC stage but also at the Saugatuck-Douglas Library where they gave an educational concert and Q&A. Flanked by Schubert and Debussy, their festival program included a new work by Lembit Beecher titled “Juniper and Birch” (2024) which evoked vivid imagery and emotions. Their electric vitality was infectious and left us all in awe!

08/20/2026

A look back at festival week 3:
In addition to enjoying the lyrical, dreamlike, and fiery music of three major French composers, we also took to the outdoors during break to enjoy the perfect summer weather in Saugatuck. Artistic Director Kimia Ghaderi gave a powerful opening to the concert with pianist Eun-Hee Park in Faure's epic Violin Sonata No. 1. Joining for the second half of profound works by Chausson and Saint Saens were violinist Dianna Joiner, violist Patrick Miller, and cellist Tom Sullivan. Although the musicians have friendships going back to music school, they now live in four different cities, making the week of rehearsals in Saugatuck one of great intensity and fun reunion!

Photo credit and thanks go to Ruth H. Photography

08/19/2026

Festival week 2 featured an all star cast of West Michigan artists in a remarkable program of seven different composers! They took us on a journey from the baroque era through 19th century Spain and the modern era, demonstrating the versatility of their instruments in six different instrumentation combinations throughout the night.

We are so grateful to the musicians for their courageous artistry and to Ruth H. Photography for capturing it all beautifully!

08/18/2026

Our 2026 festival may be behind us, but we can relive the exciting moments of the season in photos! We'll start with our season opening concerts featuring WindSync. They mesmerized us with the mastery of their playing and their stage presence, delivering us joy, beauty, and laughter from the stage.

Huge thanks go to Ruth H. Photography for the stunning photos. Check back daily for more photos from this summer!

08/16/2026

Thank you all for a fantastic season! Because of the support of our enthusiastic audience, sponsors and donors, our 39th Festival was a great success. We enjoyed presenting six incredible ensembles and sharing their inspirational music with you. Please take a moment to complete our audience survey. We value your feedback, and your responses will help us plan our 40th Season!

Thank you for attending the 2026 Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck! We sincerely hope you enjoyed the concerts as much as we enjoyed planning and presenting the artists this year. Please take a moment to help us plan for future seasons by completing the survey questions below.

08/14/2026

The final concert of our 2026 festival is TONIGHT! Come out to the Saugatuck Woman’s Club at 7pm for one more celebration of summer with chamber music that is uplifting, heartfelt, and invigorating. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door in cash - $30 for adults and $5 for students. See you there!

08/10/2026

*Artist Spotlight*
Our season finale concerts will feature eight incredible musicians from the Grand Rapids Symphony! This dramatic and uplifting program will begin with Sibelius’ soulful and introspective quartet, “Voces Intimae” (Intimate Voices), followed by Mendelssohn’s uplifting and joyful String Octet.

James Crawford, violin
Eric Tanner, violin
Megan Crawford, violin
Jenna Anderson Buchner, violin
Benjamin Penzner, viola
Barbara Corbató, viola
Alicia Eppinga, cello
Will Preece, cello

To read bios for each of these musicians, please visit: https://www.saugatuckmusic.org/events/sibelius-and-mendelssohn

Reserve your tickets today for their performance on Friday, August 14! Thursday’s concert is already sold out.

08/07/2026

Tonight at 7pm, there’s one more chance to hear the Westhuizen Duo with violinist Yu Xin and cellist Bruce Uchimura! Bravi tutti for an incredible and joyful performance last night!

Don’t miss your chance to order tickets for tonight and for our finale on August 14th - the two remaining concerts of our season with seats available: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/cmfs2024/5816/event/1469959