This season marks the 25^th anniversary of the Artistic Director Wendy Putnam’s founding of the Concord Chamber Music Society, and as usual, the society is presenting great and important visiting artists beginning with the Jupiter String Quartet on September 22^nd, and ending with the legendary Juilliard String Quartet on April 13^th.  In between, various chamber configurations will involve local favorites including Marc-André Hamelin, and Putnam herself. But it’s not going to be business as usual for this valuable and essential presenter.  Apparently CCMS will be rather peripatetic, inasmuch as it will be beginning a transition away from its long-time home base, the Concord Academy, with only twi concerts there. One of the remaining three will take place at the gorgeous Groton Music Center, and two at Maxwell Hall at Lexington’s Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library. Details are HERE.

But beyond venue transitions, the 25^th season finds Wendy Putnam telling subscribers about her retiring, and announcing that Daniel Chong and Jessica Bodner* are inked to succeed her as co-artistic directors in 25-26. Our questions follow:

FLE: Why are you retiring after this year of important transitions for your organization? Does this remind you of your stint as concertmaster of the New Orleans Symphony where performances would take place in a civic center, various churches, and high school auditoriums throughout the state?

WP: There are two main reasons for my departure at this juncture: the first relates to sustainability. During the last several years, I came to realize that my responsibilities and the work that I did really needed to be spread out among more people in order for the organization to grow and thrive. The second relates to my own career path and personal trajectory – I needed to have more time and space to pursue things that are meaningful and significant to me. 

And actually, this does remind me in a way of my time in New Orleans with what became the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra ― not because of the multiple venues, but because of the kind of growth and change that was occurring in that organization at the time. 

What is it like to branch out and explore new concert venues?

It makes me think of the way a baby bird might feel when it is leaving its nest for the first time … it seems scary at first, but then new courage, skills and abilities help the bird begin to expand its wings and fly.

Will your successors and the board be able to develop a relationship with a hall as convenient and capacious (and with great sight lines) such as the Concord Academy? Can you tell us why the hall might not be available after this season?

With multiple such venues, I hope CCMS can grow its audience base and not rely on a single venue for all of its needs. I don’t know in fact that the Concord Academy Performing Arts Center won’t be available, but I do know that the school’s needs and use of that building are changing. They are building a new Performing Arts Center with a much smaller hall that won’t be be able to accomodate our audiences.

I note that you will be playing in three of next year’s concerts, with your last being a duo recital with pianist Vitas Baksys. Will the repertoire for that concert be something special?

Vytas and I chose that repertoire together, and all the works are meaningful to us in one way or another. As collaborative artistic partners, we’ve often gravitated towards American music. It’s something we both enjoy and our separate strengths as performers play well in that genre Vytas is a great musical humorist, and he chose to honor the late Peter Schickele, who joined us for a CCMS performance back in 2016, with “The Short-Tempered Clavier.” I love the lyricism and uniquely American styles of Florence Price (who was a remarkable woman!) and Copland. And we decided to throw in Henri Vieuxtemps’s Souvenirs d’Amérique, which is a delightful set of variations on Yankee Doodle, as homage to the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution. As always, we will have a lot of fun performing together!

Do you plan to continue playing for CCMS after your retirement as artistic director?

I haven’t thought about that just yet – I admire and respect Jessica and Dan very much and I will leave those decisions up to them.

You have had such wonderful relationships with great performers and great quartets and have snagged them year after year for grateful full houses. Audiences will miss that. Here’s hoping your duo-successors Daniel Chong and Jessica Bodner will also have strong connections with great artists. 

I’m sure they have strong artistic relationships of their own, and I look forward to seeing what they will bring to artistic programming and planning for CCMS moving forward!

Did you have a role in the selection your successors? And what are the important qualities which led to the choice?

I wanted to leave the search and decision entirely up to the CCMS Board, so I stayed out of it as much as possible. However, I am absolutely delighted at this choice, and I believe it will be an important step forward for the organization.  

Hopes and dreams for your next chapter?

I plan to begin focusing on audience development and organizational change within the larger performing arts sector. I’m excited to synthesize experiences and skills I gained in the BSO, the Concord Chamber Music Society, and the Louisiana Philharmonic with the education I received at the Harvard Business School over the past several years in order to help support and guide many arts organizations in the future. I also hope to have more time to devote to family, personal interests and hobbies. I have a sabbatical this year from the BSO, so I’m getting a taste now of my future life.

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*Co-artistic director designees Daniel Chong and Jessica Bodner are known to many BMInt readers as founding members of the Parker Quartet. “Their combined extraordinary talents, vision, and passion for the arts will lead our organization into an exciting new chapter,” said Dr. Nancy Sokol, CCMS President.

Chong and Bodner replied, “We are thrilled to introduce ourselves as the new Co-Artistic Directors of the Concord Chamber Music. Stepping into this role at the end of this celebratory 25^th season is both exciting and an honor. We cannot imagine a more fitting place to bring our passion for chamber music than to this outstanding organization. As founding members of the Parker Quartet, we have dedicated over 20 years to performing chamber music around the world. For us, chamber music is not just a vocation; it is a way of life that embodies listening closely to diverse voices, collaborating with joy, and fostering spontaneity and creativity. These essential elements are fundamental to the transformative power of chamber music… as CCMS begins its 25^th season, there is so much to celebrate. From the unforgettable concerts and the impressive roster of artists who have graced the stage, to the meaningful interactions with young folks and the remarkable vision and leadership of Wendy Putnam – there is so much to honor. Looking ahead, we are eager to contribute to the growth of this vibrant community, to offer inspiring and innovative programming, and to continue introducing the voices of exceptional artists. Future plans also include expanding our reach through performances at non-traditional venues, deepening our community and educational engagements with partners throughout Greater Boston, and working towards establishing a dedicated concert venue for CCMS.”

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. Daniel has performed at major music festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Denver Chamber Music Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Chamberfest West, Mostly Mozart, Bridgehampton, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the Perigord Noir Music Festival, and is a past member of Ensemble DITTO. 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 About Jessica Bodner

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 has held visiting teaching positions at New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music, 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.