The rich history of chamber music at CCM in the modern era can be traced back to the LaSalle Quartet, who taught at CCM from 1953-1987, with members of the quartet continuing to teach at the college until 2017. The members of the LaSalle Quartet mentored a generation of string quartets, including the Alban Berg, Artis, Buchberger, Pražák, and Vogler Quartets. More recently, they mentored the Ariel String Quartet, who since 2012 have carried on the LaSalle’s legacy at CCM. The Tokyo String Quartet (1988-1998) and Amernet Quartet (1996-2000) also held residencies at the college.
CCM is also known for its long history and commitment to contemporary chamber music. This also began with the LaSalle Quartet, best known for its performances and recordings of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern) as well as the premieres of Lutosławski's String Quartet and Ligeti’s Second String Quartet, now standards of the quartet repertoire. This continued with CCM hiring Percussion Group Cincinnati in 1979, with one member of the group (Professor Russell Burge) still teaching at CCM today. Percussion Group Cincinnati mentored a new generation of percussionists and chamber musicians including Eighth Blackbird (1996-), a new music sextet who studied at CCM from 1997-2000 and went on to numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards and the $400,000 MacArthur Award for Effective and Creative Institutions. That legacy continues with the 2023 hire of Nick Photinos (CCM ‘00), the founding cellist of Eighth Blackbird, as Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar.