Announcing Our 26-27 Season!

Third Coast Percussion – Sept. 20

Returning to the FOCM series for the first time since 2019, the GRAMMY® Award-winning, Chicago-based ensemble Third Coast Percussion has forged a unique path in the musical landscape with virtuosic, energetic performances that celebrate the extraordinary depth and breadth of musical possibilities in the world of percussion. The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion music at Northwestern University, forming Third Coast Percussion in 2005. Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.

Poiesis Quartet – Nov. 1

Celebrated for their “multifaceted artistry” and “brilliantly idiomatic” programming (New York Times), the Poiesis Quartet is the winner of the 2026 Cleveland Quartet Award and the First Prize and Commission Prize recipients of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition. Derived from ancient Greek (ποιεῖν), the word Poiesis means “to make”; specifically, to create something that has never existed before. With a focus on expanding the string quartet repertoire with vibrant new works by emerging composers, the Poiesis Quartet infuses each performance with unique moments of synchronicity and verve. The Poiesis Quartet is currently the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) studying under the Ariel Quartet.

Extra: Michael Spencer Memorial Concert (feat. Ying Quartet) – Nov. 15

Michael Spencer gave many years to FOCM as a board member, past-President, artist selection.  Most of you know him as the author of the wonderful program notes you’ve read before each concert.  Dr. Spencer passed away recently and the board has decided to honor his memory and legacy with a special concert on Nov. 15, 2026.  The Ying Quartet, a group that has been part of FOCM seasons for many years, were always one of his favorite ensembles. They have graciously agreed to perform as part of this concert.  All are invited.  Free admission!

Akropolis Reed Quintet – Feb. 7

Founded in 2009 and last seen with FOCM in 2015, the GRAMMY® Award-winning Akropolis Reed Quintet is “a sonically daring ensemble who specializes in performing new works with charisma and integrity” (BBC Music Magazine). Comprising five reed players and entrepreneurs unbounded by limits or categorization, Akropolis has graced the Classical Billboard Charts with each of their last three albums, including #2 in April, 2024, and has won seven national chamber music prizes including the 2014 Fischoff Gold Medal. Having premiered and commissioned more than 200 works by living artists and composers, they are pioneers and champions of a new genre of classical music—the reed quintet.

Les Delices – Feb. 28

Founded by baroque oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for unique programs that “can’t help but get one listening and thinking in fresh ways” (San Francisco Classical Voice). The New York Times observed that “Concerts and recordings by Les Délices are journeys of discovery” while UK Classical Source added, “The centuries roll away when the members of Les Délices bring this long-existing music to communicative and sparkling life.” While music of the French Baroque remains a core specialty of Les Délices, recent projects have seen Les Délices bring their “outstanding artistry and verve” (American Record Guide) to music by Black eighteenth-century composer Charles Ignatius Sancho, Classical chamber music from the Age of Revolutions, late-Medieval music, and more. FOCM is excited to welcome this engaging ensemble to Stockton!

Vega Quartet – Apr. 4

The Vega String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at Emory University, is cultivating a new generation of chamber music lovers through dynamic performances and innovative community engagement. The New York Times raved that “[the Quartet’s] playing had a kind of clean intoxication to it, pulling the listener along…the musicians took real risks in their music making” and the L.A. Times praised their “triumphant L.A. debut.” The Vega Quartet has appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Royal Academy of Music in London, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Vienna’s Musikverein and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, among others. The Vega Quartet can be heard on labels such as Naxos and Artek, notably releasing the first recording of John Alden Carpenter’s String Quartet and Piano Quintet under the American Classics series for Naxos.