Our Mission
The Concord Chamber Music Society, Inc. (CCMS) seeks to enhance the cultural life of the greater Boston area by presenting affordable concerts of the highest caliber, and through community and educational outreach.
Performances have featured renowned ensembles and artists such as the Juilliard, Borromeo, Muir, Pacifica, Takács, Parker, and Jerusalem Quartets; the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson and Hermitage Piano Trios; Triple Helix; violinists Gil Shaham and Glenn Dicterow; and pianists Yefim Bronfman, Marc-André Hamelin, Menahem Pressler, Jonathan Biss, and Peter Serkin. Concerts also regularly feature members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed chamber musicians.
With the 2024-2025 season, CCMS celebrated its 25th year of extraordinary musical experiences.
Artistic Directors
Jessica Bodner, described by the New York Times as a "soulful soloist," is known for her inexhaustible search for vivid music-making and exploration of sound. Jessica is the violist of the GRAMMY Award-winning Parker Quartet and has appeared at venues around the world both with the Quartet and as an individual such as at Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Library of Congress, Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikverein, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Seoul Arts Center, and has appeared at festivals including Edinburgh International Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Chamberfest Cleveland, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Moab Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Perigord Noir, Monte Carlo Spring Arts Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Istanbul’s Cemal Recit Rey, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hitzacker, and Heidelberg String Quartet Festival. As a member of the Parker Quartet, she has recorded for ECM Records, Zig-Zag Territoires, Nimbus, and Naxos.
Jessica held visiting teaching positions at New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music, has been on faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Yellow Barn Festival, and is currently a faculty member of Harvard University's Department of Music as Professor of the Practice in conjunction with the Parker Quartet's appointment as Blodgett Quartet-in-Residence. Outside of music, Jessica enjoys running, practicing yoga, and hiking with her husband, violinist Daniel Chong, their son, Cole, and their vizsla, Bodie.
Jessica Bodner
GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Daniel Chong is one of the most exciting and versatile musicians of his generation and is known for his gripping interpretations and sincerity of expression. Since 2002, as the founding first violinist of the Parker Quartet, he has garnered wide recognition for his performances in such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, Musikverein, and Wigmore Hall. Additionally, recent solo engagements include appearances at National Sawdust in New York City, Seoul Arts Center, and Jordan Hall in Boston. Daniel has received several awards and prizes such as the Cleveland Quartet Award and top prizes at the Concert Artists Guild Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. In the recording realm, he can be heard on the ECM Records, Zig-Zag Territoires, Naxos, and Nimbus Records labels.
His major music festival performances include the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Mostly Mozart, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the Perigord Noir Music Festival. In addition to the core repertoire, Daniel is a strong advocate for new music. Some of the composers he has worked closely with are György Kurtág, Augusta Read Thomas, Helmut Lachenmann, and Chaya Czernowin.
Daniel currently serves as Professor of the Practice at Harvard University.
Daniel Chong
Community and Educational Outreach
Community and educational outreach has been a central tenet of the Concord Chamber Music Society’s mission since its founding. CCMS outreach programs bring musical performances to individuals who ordinarily would not have the opportunity to attend a CCMS concert. Enriching the core concert experience for our audiences with lectures and pre-concert performances by gifted young musicians is essential to our philosophy. These programs aim to foster an awareness and appreciation of chamber music in people of all ages.
Community outreach events have featured pre-concert lectures given by acclaimed musicologist Steven Ledbetter, BSO historian Brian Bell, and concert artists, as well as pre-concert performances by students from Project STEP and the New England Conservatory.
Educational outreach events have included classroom visits and performances at local elementary schools, string workshops for high school orchestra members, and free public master classes for local musicians and students. Participating artists have included Boston Symphony Orchestra piccoloist Cynthia Meyers, CCMS founder Wendy Putnam, composer Michael Gandolfi, BSO Concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, BSO Principal Violist Steven Ansell, and music educator Sally O’Reilly, Professor of Violin at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and a Senior Fulbright Lecturer.
2024–2025 CCMS Board of Directors
H. Nancy Sokol, President
William J. Blake, Jr., Vice President
Daniel Schrager, Treasurer
Pamela Hill, Clerk
Diane M. Austin
Martin Feldman
Leon Golub
Marilyn Bone Kloss
Jeffrey Levine
Donald Malpass, Jr.
Nate Steele
Melissa Webster
Jeff Wieand
CCMS Staff
Emily Kristofek, Operations Manager
Saralyn Klepaczyk, Concert Manager
Concord Chamber Music Society, Inc. is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit corporation.
Founder
Wendy Putnam
CCMS was founded by Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Wendy Putnam in January of 2000. Ms. Putnam led CCMS as its Artistic and Executive Director for its first 25 years, through the 2024-2025 season.
Putnam joined the BSO in 1996 and has collaborated and concertized with many of the world’s most renowned musicians, including her BSO colleagues. Distinguished artists have recognized Ms. Putnam not only for her musical accomplishments but also for her devotion to the arts and humanities. Putnam holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music and completed Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development in 2021.