Support eclectic chamber music through Spectrum!

In the mid-1980s, a group of full-time core string players from the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra got together on a regular basis to read chamber music for fun and eat homemade popovers.

Almost 40 years later, that group is now known as Spectrum Chamber Music Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable performing-arts organization with its own Board of Directors, as well as a scope much larger than its original members could have ever imagined!

The main focus of Spectrum is our traditional six-concert season. Our performances strive to create an informal, personal connection between artists and audience. And since much of our repertoire is determined by the musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra who perform on our programs, we have the ability to surprise and delight with a varied mix of instrument combinations and musical styles.

Since our incorporation with the State of Texas in 2020, Spectrum has added some new projects. As part of our commitment to the future of classical chamber music, we have established an annual Spectrum Chamber Music Composition Award, and in the three years since its creation, our award has attracted hundreds of stellar entries by composers from all over the United States and abroad. Each of the composers of the first-prize compositions has come to Fort Worth to introduce their music to our audience, providing valuable context to the performances.

Another project we have recently started is our community outreach program, in which various ensembles perform shorter concerts for audiences outside our regular concert environment. From traditional string quartet music to spicy tango music to chill music for four basses, our programs give a taste of the variety Spectrum has to offer.

In addition to the projects listed above, Spectrum has some exciting plans for the future that, although they are still in the planning stages, we are just too pumped up about them to keep to ourselves:

—In late January 2025, Spectrum will celebrate the Year of the Snake with a special Lunar New Year program, complete with authentic Chinese music, instruments and food.

—Our annual, end-of-season fundraising event, already known for pushing the boundaries of what a small performing-arts organization can achieve, takes things to yet another level in May 2025 with a chamber ensemble performance of Gustav Mahler’s sublime Symphony No. 4, conducted by FWSO Music Director Laureate and friend of Spectrum, Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

—Plans are currently in the works to partner with LVTRISE, an organization created to improve the lives of people living in the Las Vegas Trail area, to provide musical experiences for an after-school program in one of the most underserved communities in Fort Worth.

From its homemade popover origins to an organization with a six-concert season plus multiple exciting side projects, Spectrum is bigger than ever. The key to our growth is support from the community.

Help us continue Spectrum’s mission of bringing our passion for music to the people of Fort Worth and beyond.