Heads flipping back, bows passionately swinging, and vibrant sounds filling the air signaled the fall chamber music recital held in the Timken Room on November 9. Musical groups ranging from string quartets to wind trios walked onto the stage to showcase the work they have prepared throughout the term. This concert marked the final Chamber recital at Graves Hall, as the department prepares to move to Falls Music Center in 2025.
The chamber groups, formed at the start of school, have consistently rehearsed together throughout the fall term. In the practices leading up to the performance, musicians were able to meet new friends while practicing their musical abilities. Playing in a Beethoven clarinet quartet, Vedant Bajaj ’28 reflected on his time with the chamber society, noting how, as a new student, the program offered an opportunity to get to know the music community.
“Chamber music is a very cool opportunity because it lets you bond with other people and it improves music skills that you would otherwise not learn. I’m really glad to have been able to play alongside my group and especially listen to what others prepared this term,” said Bajaj.
This year, the Academy Chamber Society was led by Co-Heads, Helios Hong ’25 and Sophie Tung ’25. Working with faculty on the programming and organization behind the program, Hong discussed the efforts over the past term. Hong also performed in the concert as a part of two chamber groups, noting the growth of the group throughout the term.
“I am one of the Co-Heads with Sophie. Basically, you have the option of coaching a group for every term. We also work with Mrs. [Holly] Barnes [Instructor in Music and Director of Performance] to pick a repertoire, to put groups together, and also work together on the program and the scheduling of the concert. This term, I was part of two chamber groups. The point of chamber is to play music with smaller groups of people and to learn about each other’s instrument and each other’s sound, and I definitely did that in both of my chamber groups,” said Hong.
The Chamber music program offers an opportunity to perform in a small group as opposed to the many larger ensembles on campus. Maggie Fulop ’26, whose string quartet performed an arrangement of Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia along with the first and third movements of a Hermann Suite, pointed to chamber music as one of her favorite contexts to play the violin.
“Getting together for rehearsals, especially for the Passacaglia, was tricky. Luckily we all did chamber music as a sport so that was built-in rehearsal time… Getting to play with my friends is super fun. I also personally like the sound of chamber music so it’s always been one of my favorite ways to play violin,” said Fulop.
The chamber recital is a highly anticipated event held at the end of each term, drawing in friends and family to celebrate the dedication and talent of the student performers. Musician Cyrus Law ’27 expressed excitement about listening to what his friends had worked on throughout the term.
“A lot of my friends, including my roommate, were performing. So I was excited to see what they have been working on this term. But I’m also involved in the music program, so it’s just really nice to see my peers perform occasionally. I also know some of them were doing chamber as a sport, so it was pretty cool to see what they could prepare with their extra dedication,” said Law.
As chamber society’s final recital in Graves, musicians entered with a sentimentality as they performed in Timken for the last time. For Hong, Graves was a staple part of his musical career at Andover, housing memories of his part work and performances. However, he also highlighted the opportunities that Falls will open up for more students to get involved with the Chamber society.
“This is the last chamber recital in Graves Hall. All of my solo and chamber recitals have been in Graves, so this is definitely very bittersweet for me. I think my group played pretty well and I’m very honored to be the Co-Head of Chamber Society in this last iteration of the chamber. I’m really looking forward to the endless opportunities and resources that [we] will have in Falls Hall to improve the chamber experience and also to offer more chamber opportunities to more musicians and more instruments,” said Hong.
