French pianist Patrick Hemmerlé will play for us at our concert on November 14th in St Cuthbert's Church, Carlisle.

Patrick is no stranger to Cumbria, having played for Keswick Music Society in 2017 and at the Lake District Summer Music Festival in 2018. A review of his Keswick performance praised his technical accomplishment but also the “warmth of tone and beauty” in his playing. He was described as a “thrilling performer” at the L.D.S.M.F.

We are fortunate to be able to present Patrick in concert given that he performs on the international stage and has a busy schedule. In October he gave concerts in Paris and Los Angeles. In December he will give concerts in Cambridge and in Richmond, US. 

Patrick has recorded three CDs, which have been well received by the international press. His fourth CD, for release next year, is a pairing of Bach's Well Tempered Clavier and Fischer's Ariadne Musica.

See our 2019-20 page for details of the concert programme.

Remember: on November 14th Patrick will be in Carlisle. Don't miss him!
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The nights are lengthening and the mercury is dropping on the thermometer but let's not be downhearted at the waning of summer; the approach of autumn means that the concert season is almost upon us. We hope that you'll enjoy our forthcoming season, which this year comprises two solo piano recitals and concerts by a string quartet, a piano trio, a saxophone/piano duo and a violin/piano duo. Details are available on the Concerts page of this website, also in our annual concerts leaflet. The latter is widely available in venues in and around the city.

Have you considered taking out a subscription? Only £67 for six concerts and you receive subscriber benefits - see our Tickets page for more information. With individual concert tickets at £14 that means that even if you can attend only five out of the six concerts you still save money. If you are inclined towards philanthropy then absorb the fact that subscriptions are a great way to support  the Society.
Our aim is to continue providing high quality chamber music in Carlisle and the surrounding area. We simply want people to experience and enjoy it. Under18s and full-time students are granted free entry to our concerts and that presents a great opportunity for young people.
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Come and join us!

We look forward to hearing Court Studies from 'The Tempest' by Thomas Adès at our next concert, 28th February. The work was given its premiere in 2005 at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh by the composer's ensemble. It will be played for us by Jack McNeill (clarinet),Viv McLean (piano), David Le Page (violin) and Clare O'Connell (cello).
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Adès extracted six solo pieces for members of the Court of Naples from his and Meredith Oakes's opera The Tempest and transcribed them for four instruments. The first three pieces form a sequence in the opera:
Antonio: 'Sir, I saw him in the water/Striking bravely for the land';
Sebastian: 'Milan, your vanity, your self-promotion/Have brought us to this godforsaken shore';
The King of Naples: 'Oh Prince of Naples and Milan/What fish has made its meal on you?'.
The next two pieces are presented out of sequence:
Antonio: ‘You’ll forgive at no cost/You’ve won I’ve lost’ is the last of the court arias, from near the end of the opera;
Gonzalo: ‘Sir, be cheerful/This is remarkable/Please don’t weep/Your Majesty’ is the first, sung when they have only just come ashore.