About Friends of Chamber Music

Our Mission & History

The mission of the Friends of Chamber Music of Stockton is to develop, sustain and advance an interest in professional quality chamber music for the citizens of Stockton and surrounding communities.  To advance this mission, we present five high-quality chamber music concerts each year at the University of the Pacific's Conservatory of Music, performed by internationally recognized professional musicians. We welcome all audiences, drawing from Merced to Sacramento, and the East Bay area to the Central Sierra foothills.

Now in our 53rd continuous season, Friends of Chamber Music of Stockton has been serving Stockton and the surrounding communities for more than a half a century.  The organization was founded by Walter H. Perl in 1956 with support from local donations and a Ford Foundation grant for the promotion of chamber music. The initial Board of Directors was a small group of chamber music enthusiasts, primarily faculty of what was at the time the College of the Pacific. In 1986, the Board membership was increased and expanded to reflect community members with a broad range of backgrounds, geographical locations, and interests.  The Executive Committee, Board Members, and Artist Selection Committee are all volunteers. There is no paid staff.

Friends of Chamber Music has consistently maintained the highest musical standards, presenting such well-known groups as the Beaux Arts and Amadeus Trios, the Julliard, Guarnieri, Tokyo, and Kronos Quartets, as well as many other groups from the Americas, Europe, and Asia.