For nearly five decades, Pro Musica has been delighting audiences by bringing world-class chamber musicians to Calgary.
At the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall inside the Rozsa Centre, Calgarians have had the chance to see some of the finest artists in the world without having to travel to cultural hubs like New York or Europe.
And such is the reputation that Pro Musica has built over the decades that those same musicians who are hotly in demand are themselves asking to come to Calgary to play.
It’s only fitting that for their 50th anniversary that Pro Musica’s concert season has amplified that exceptional connection between Calgarians and the top talent worldwide.
“Chamber music is special. It really is the type of music that musicians most want to play,” said Dean O’Brien, Artistic Director of Calgary Pro Musica Society.
“You can hear other great concerts from the city, but to hear a world class artist play in a fantastic hall, you’re really going to get an intimate side of music making.”
Kicking off the season in September is a one-night-only performance by Canadian violin superstar James Ehnes and much-in-demand pianist Andrew Armstrong, as Ehnes himself celebrates his 50th birthday across Canada.
That evening, which O’Brien said would be an unforgettable event for lovers of chamber music, is likely to be one of the hottest tickets for Pro Musica’s 2026-27 season.
“First priority to our to our subscribers. If you want to get a chance to share James Ehnes in the Rozsa Center, get a subscription,” he laughed.
September concerts from the Gryphon Trio, November concerts from the Poiesis Quartet with Anastasia Vorotnava, and January 2027 concerts from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center are also likely to sell out the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall as part of the Masters Series.
“People approach us, people want to play and there’s a lot of great artists out there. Especially for on an established series. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is very popular, and also, because it’s a cohort, they can do all different combinations of things,” said O’Brien.
Despite the Lincoln Centre being in the news for more than just its performing arts scene of late, there is a prestige in having that quartet come to Calgary—so much so that the BBC’s Radio 3 said it was prestigious beyond belief to have them play outside of Washington D.C..
But more locally prestigious, the Poiesis Quartet with Anastasia Vorotnava are the winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISC) and the Pro Musica concert marks the first time the quartet will play Calgary.
“I just think it’s important that such a major competition is right in our neighborhood, and we need to be supporting that and bringing those winners to our audience,” said O’Brien.
“That’s a great way for us to support what BISC is doing, to be on their winners tour and commit to presenting their winners each year. I think it’s just a win–win for everybody.”
March 2026 will see one of the world’s most preeminent quartets in Quartetto di Cremona bring their award-winning music to audiences, followed by JUNO Award winners New Orford String Quartet in May.
The one absolutely cannot miss event of the season, said O’Brien, would be the New Orford String Quartet because of the world premiere of a commissioned work by Pro Musica and composed by JUNO winner Kevin Lau.
“As part of the commission project, we are also having the work performed and professionally recorded in the hall, and we’re talking to Kevin right now about how we’re going to get this released. And New Orford has pledged to keep performing the piece,” said O’Brien.
“We are really trying to not just commission a piece, because what happens so much time some something plays new work, and that’s it, it’s never heard again. We are really trying to contribute something new to the chamber music repertoire that will have life and legs after the concert.”
Pushing the boundaries of what chamber music can be
Like that effort to create something new to add to the repertoire, Pro Musica’s Horizon Series, which launches in October 2026, is set to bring some of the finest quartets to push the boundaries of what chamber music can be and give audiences a taste of the future of the art form.
“It is not just your standard classical chamber music concert that you know. It gives us that flexibility to try new things, invite some emerging artists, some crossover, some new music, and just and really look for things,” said O’Brien.
That series of three concerts will see the SPA Trio, Grammy award-winning Attacca Quartet with Caroline Shaw, and all-cello ensemble Galvin Cello Quartet perform.
“What’s been quite popular these days are early music ensembles playing on period instruments. We had Talking Music earlier this year, extremely popular. So it’s trying to find that mix and balance,” said O’Brien.
“Top rated musicians, they’re coming because it’s just an interesting program.”
Having Shaw come and play in Calgary, said O’Brien, was a chance to see one of the hottest artists on the chamber music circuit play locally.
“This is the future of chamber music,” he said.
Subscription sales for the Pro Musica 2026-27 season open on May 1, and renewing subscribers receive their choice of seats until July 15.
But for audience members giving chamber music a try for the first time, O’Brien said that even dipping their toes in for a single concert was a great bargain for the value of entertainment.
“Our tickets are still under $50 for adults… and we offer $5 student rush tickets because we want you to try and make this as accessible as we can,” he said.
“We are a lean administrative team, and we get a lot done without having it bloated. We work very hard to keep our prices as low as possible, and we think also for what you’re getting, we think we’re the best deal in town.”
For more information on Pro Musica’s 50th anniversary season and for tickets, see calgarypromusica.ca.