Hamilton Chamber Music Society

Hamilton Chamber Music Society

The Hamilton Chamber Music Society. Founded in 1951 by Delia Calapai of Buffalo and Reginald Godden, with the support of McMaster University. The Spivak String Quartet gave the opening concert 19 Jan 1952. The society engaged mainly Canadian performers and emphasized unusual repertoire (eg, music of Scheidt, Henry VIII, Malcolm Arnold, and Victor Ewald, played by Canadian Brass, 27 Nov 1971; music of George Crumb, Luciano Berio, Harry Freedman, John Hawkins, Mario Davidovsky, and György Ligeti, presented by New Music Concerts of Toronto, 10 Feb 1973). Foreign groups have appeared occasionally, as 14 Feb 1953, when the society presented the Amadeus String Quartet for the first time in Hamilton. The society continued to give between three and five concerts each season until 1977. Its final (91st) presentation was an appearance of the Beaux Arts Trio 23 April 1977.