We teach students of all ages how to be better musicians, stressing performance skills such as musical interpretation, individual discipline and teamwork. Prelude Chamber Music, Inc., is a charitable organization of seasoned professional symphony and chamber musicians who instruct at a summer camp and music festival for talented youth and adults in Northeast Florida and offer local performance experiences and mentoring programs in our communities throughout the year. Our founders and instructors are often members of the Jacksonville Symphony or are in other similar music professions who want to give back to the community and share the love of fine music making.
Our mission is to cultivate new opportunities for music education through our chamber ensemble work. We offer enriching programs that allow students to share in the special joy of small ensembles and gain access to qualified professional musicians and community venues.
We give musicians at every level an opportunity to experience chamber music in a positive and non-competitive way, and to enjoy chamber music now as students, and throughout their lives. We encourage our students to be life-long learners and to pursue their passions for music with community involvement.
Our main event is the Prelude Chamber Music Festival each summer in Jacksonville, Florida.
Now in our 21st season, we continue to provide outstanding music education and community service, and are working to raise funds to support our community outreach events and chamber music education programs.
The next Prelude Chamber Music Camp & Festival is scheduled for June 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida. This is an incredible opportunity for students to learn from some of the area’s leading music teachers. Many of the instructors are also members of the Jacksonville Symphony. Special guests and instructors teach master classes on intensive topics such as interpretation, theory and ensemble performance. Music camp is for everyone, all levels of musicians from beginners to professionals, and is geared for small ensemble study and performances. In order to organize students into tracks and levels that fit his/her current needs and abilities, each student auditions for placement only. The festival is a main attraction for talented youth in the Northeast Florida area. Each year funds are raised to foster outreach programs and to bring in more students who otherwise would not have had the means or the opportunity to experience music education in this inviting and well-organized environment that encourages students to move beyond current abilities and demonstrate their best.
In addition to our summer camp/festival, we send ensembles to perform outreach programs in community gatherings, retirement centers, nursing homes, and other public venues. We also organize mentoring programs with adults and youngsters playing chamber music together. And we help to publicize concerts of interest presented by the Beaches & Riverside Fine Arts Series, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, the Friday Musicale, Ritz Chamber Music Society, The Florida Chamber Music Project, St. Augustine Chamber Music Festival, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival and by all our community schools and universities – just to name a few.
Prelude Chamber Music, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501c3 charitable organization and was founded in 2002 by three colleagues from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra: Christopher Chappell, Violinist; Vernon Humbert, Cellist; and Jeanne Majors, Violinist.
Prelude Chamber Music Festival provides engaging experiences for small and large ensembles and opportunities for students to try out new instruments such as bass, viola, hand bells, guitar, percussion; theory classes; and master classes. Our organization brings in guest faculty and chamber groups to put on special events and present notable soloists. Aside from performing traditional and classical chamber music, you will hear our campers working with unusual or original chamber combinations and involving local chamber, symphony and jazz musicians. During camp and throughout the year, we showcase concerts with performances by the students that are open to the public. You will also find us teaching Weekend Workshops for students and adult chamber music players; coaching various ensembles; teaching master classes; creating opportunities to perform in informal recitals; and assisting in the promotion of music programs presented by other community organizations.
Play "Summer Music"
Listen to Summer Music composed by Piotr Szewczyk for Prelude Chamber Music, performed by Prelude Chamber Music Faculty.