Chamber Music

The Ariel Quartet and the Poiesis Quartet perform together on the Werner Recital Hall stage.

CCM boasts a world-class Chamber Music department with a decades-long history of excellence in chamber music instruction and performance.

String, brass, wind, piano, percussion and vocal students in the chamber program play in one or more of the 70+ chamber ensembles each semester, receive weekly chamber music coachings, attend and perform in master classes given by acclaimed visiting artists, and have numerous opportunities to perform both on and off campus, including Chamber Bashes at the end of every semester.

Each Spring, students may apply to the annual CCM Chamber Competition, where they compete for six cash prizes across two divisions, with the winners performing in a double recital event that is a highlight of the CCM chamber program.

Headshot of Nick Photinos

Nick Photinos

Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar

Questions? Email Professor Nick Photinos.

Chamber Music Faculty

Headshot of Amit Even-Tov

Amit Even-Tov

Associate Professor, Ariel Quartet member (cello)

Headshot of Gershon Gerchikov

Gershon Gerchikov

Associate Professor, Ariel Quartet member (violin)

Headshot of Jan Grüning

Jan Grüning

Associate Professor, Ariel Quartet member (viola)

Headshot of Alexandra Kazovsky

Alexandra Kazovsky

Associate Professor, Ariel Quartet member (violin)

Headshot of Peter E. Landgren

Peter E. Landgren

Professor of Music

Headshot of Nick Photinos

Nick Photinos

Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar

Chamber Music Staff

Headshot of Sarah Minneman

Sarah Minneman

Chamber Music Coordinator


Ensembles and Conducting Division Head and Staff

Headshot of Kevin Michael Holzman

Kevin Michael Holzman

Division Head of Ensembles and Conducting; Director and Associate Professor of Wind Studies

Headshot of Katie Frisco

Katie Frisco

Program Manager for Ensembles and Conducting

513-556-2696

The Poiesis Quartet perform together on the Werner Recital Hall stage.

The Poiesis Quartet, graduate string quartet-in-residence at CCM: Sarah Ying Ma, Max Ball, Jasper de Boor and Drew Dansby.

CCM currently hosts a graduate string quartet-in-residence, a rigorous two-year program of intense study with the Ariel String Quartet, Nick Photinos, and others that culminates in an Artist Diploma in Strings. Intended for pre-formed quartets working towards a professional chamber music career, the program offers flexibility within academic classwork and scheduling to allow the students to pursue concertizing while earning their degree.

For more information about this specialized program, please contact the Ariel Quartet via their webpage.

A photograph of the LaSalle Quartet in the late 1970s: Peter Kamnitzer, Lee Fiser, Walter Levin and Henry Meyer.

The LaSalle Quartet in the late 1970s: Peter Kamnitzer, Lee Fiser, Walter Levin and Henry Meyer.

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.

A photograph of Percussion Group Cincinnati: James Culley, Allen Otte and Russell Burge.

Percussion Group Cincinnati: James Culley, Allen Otte and Russell Burge.

In addition to the Ariel Quartet and Nick Photinos, numerous faculty who coach chamber music at CCM have deep engagement with chamber music, and have served as members of the Aizuri Quartet, Canadian Brass, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Met Chamber Players, London Mozart Trio, Valor Brass, Fibonacci Sequence, Carillon Brass, Simon Winds and numerous other groups. The list of CCM faculty that have collaborated in concert and recording with professional chamber ensembles is even more vast.


News and Events

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CCM welcomes Maggie Perrino as Assistant Dean of Prep and Community Engagement

June 30, 2025

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Maggie Perrino as the college's new Assistant Dean of CCM Prep and Community Engagement. In this role, Perrino will lead a team of faculty and administrative staff at CCM Prep, which offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and the theatre arts throughout the year for people of all ages and abilities. She will also oversee CCM’s Summer Programs for youth, teens and adults. Perrino's appointment begins on June 30, 2025.

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CCM welcomes Jessie Grant as Assistant Dean of Student Services

June 4, 2025

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Jessie L. Grant, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Dean of Student Services. In this role, Grant will coordinate CCM’s academic advising program, connect students with college and university-level resources, and evaluate CCM policies and processes to better serve the college’s undergraduate and graduate students. Grant's appointment officially began on June 2, 2025.

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Poiesis Quartet to compete at Banff International String Quartet Competition

May 20, 2025

CCM graduate student ensemble the Poiesis Quartet is the only quartet in the USA to compete in the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). At CCM, the Poiesis Quartet studies chamber music with the Ariel Quartet. Members are AD student Sarah Ying Ma, violin; AD student Max Ball, violin; AD student Jasper de Boor; and AD student Drew Dansby, cello.

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Album by CCM faculty featured in the New York Times

April 25, 2025

Four CCM faculty members were recently highlighted in a New York Times roundup of notable new classical music albums. Entitled "5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now," the article spotlights the new album of Beethoven's string quartets performed by the Ariel Quartet, which has served as CCM's string quartet-in-residence since 2012. The ensemble is comprised of four CCM faculty members: Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola.

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CCM winter apparel available for purchase online

November 27, 2024

Show your school spirit this spring with official CCM apparel! New UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel is available for purchase online. CCM's latest quarter zip and crewneck sweatshirt designs can be ordered online now through Dec. 8, 2024. You can preview both items below.

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Giving Tuesday: Support CCM health and wellness

November 26, 2024

For the UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) community, Giving Tuesday offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact by supporting Student Health and Wellness. As our students dedicate themselves to the arts – pursuing rigorous schedules filled with practice, performance, and academic study – their mental and physical well-being is crucial.