The 2026 Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival begins soon, running from July 31 to August 21, 2026, with eleven live performances in five venues across Cape Cod. The season features a free community concert by the GRAMMY®-winning Imani Winds, open to all on August 3 at 5:30 PM at the Federated Church of Hyannis, 320 Main Street, Hyannis.
The 2026 Festival begins in Wellfleet with a special performance by the prestigious Danish String Quartet on July 31. The season includes the return of the award-winning Borromeo String Quartet, performing in Hyannis and Wellfleet on August 6 and 7. The GRAMMY-winning Harlem Quartet also returns to the Festival, appearing in Chatham on August 10; Festival Artistic Directors Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu will lead a Talk Back with the Harlem Quartet following their performance.
Steve Wilson, called “one of the finest alto and soprano saxophonists of our time” by Jazz Times, will appear in Cotuit with award-winning pianist and composer Renee Rosnes and bassist David Wong on August 11. The Harlem Quartet performs with Wilson, Rosnes, and Wong in Falmouth and Wellfleet on August 13 and 14 in two concerts fusing classical and jazz forms that include the world premiere of three Festival commissions: a new work by Rosnes and two new arrangements of compositions by GRAMMY-winning composer and orchestra leader Maria Schneider. Following the August 13 performance in Falmouth, Jon Manasse will lead a Talk Back with the Harlem Quartet, Wilson, Rosnes, and Wong.
Artistic Directors Jon Manasse, clarinet, and Jon Nakamatsu, piano, who have toured and recorded together as the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo since their Boston debut in 2004, will give a concert in Chatham on August 17. The exciting young Renaissance String Quartet makes their Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival debut in Cotuit on August 18. The Festival wraps up in Wellfleet on August 21; Manasse and Nakamatsu will be joined by Jeremiah Blacklow, violin, Jameel Martin, viola, and Daniel Hass, cello, members of the Renaissance String Quartet.
Executive Director Andrea Meagher said, “We’re thrilled to once again present a free community concert in Hyannis and excited for the audience to experience the dynamic Imani Winds. We’re also offering two other free activities: a family concert and an open rehearsal for the August 21 Festival Finale.”
NEW: The free family concert, on Wednesday, August 12 at 11:00 AM at the First Congregational Church of Chatham, will be led by Festival Artistic Director Jon Manasse, clarinet, with his son Jordan, piano, and new daughter-in-law Alyssa Yuge, viola. The concert will be perfect for children four to eight, but all ages are welcome. Tickets are not required and the dress is casual.
NEW: The free open rehearsal for the August 21 Festival Finale will be held at the Dennis Union Church on Thursday, August 20 at 10:00 AM. The musicians at the rehearsal will be Jon Manasse, clarinet, Jon Nakamatsu, piano, Jeremiah Blacklow, violin, Jameel Martin, viola, and Daniel Hass, cello. Details have yet to be determined, but the musicians will rehearse Ludwig van Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat Major for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello, Op. 11, and/or Gabriel Fauré’s Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, Op. 15. All are welcome to attend the open rehearsal on August 20 and no tickets are required.
Artistic Director Manasse, principal clarinetist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra, and the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center, said, “I love spending time on Cape Cod and working with Jon Nakamatsu to create the programming for the Festival.”
Artistic Director Nakamatsu, winner of the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and guest soloist with over 150 orchestras worldwide including Berlin, Boston, Cincinnati, and San Francisco, said, “I look forward to performing at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival this year and I’m excited about the wide range of top-notch musicians we’re presenting.”
The Festival will celebrate 20 years of artistic leadership under Manasse and Nakamatsu with an anniversary party at the Belmont Beach Club in West Harwich on August 9 at 5:00 PM. Manasse and Nakamatsu will perform at the event, a fundraiser for the Festival. The evening includes a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres and a buffet provided by the executive chef of the Belmont Beach Club.
Meagher said, “We’re excited to celebrate two decades of excellent artistic leadership from Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu. Every summer, they inspire us with their creative programming and their own outstanding performances, bringing a unique energy to Cape Cod that we are so lucky to share."
The Festival will once again offer post-concert dinners with the musicians following three of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival concerts. These special opportunities are available for a donation of $100 per person. Seating is limited. After “The Borromeo: Luminous Beauty” concert on August 7, a private dinner will hosted by a Festival board member at Chapel in the Pines in Eastham. Following the “Jazz at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival” concert on August 11, a private dinner will be held in the Sandwich home of a Festival board member. The post-concert dinner following the “Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo: Celebrate!” concert on August 17 is sold out.
All concerts begin at 5:30 PM. Performances are approximately 75 minutes in length with no intermission. The complete concert schedule is below and available at capecodchambermusic.org.
Danish String Quartet: Listen Up!
Friday, July 31, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main Street, Wellfleet
Danish String Quartet
- Frederik Øland, violin
- Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violin
- Asbjørn Nørgaard, viola
- Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin, cello
The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival is pleased to present a special performance by the prestigious Danish String Quartet, “one of the best quartets before the public today” (The Washington Post). The in-demand GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble performs classical repertoire as well as sophisticated arrangements of traditional Nordic folk tunes, which they have explored for over a decade; they’ve released three albums of this work, the last two both chosen as one of the top classical albums of the year by NPR and The New York Times.
The Boston Globe said, “Even by today’s high standards, [the Danish String Quartet] offers something very special.” These “excitingly aggressive rockers” (Los Angeles Times) with “rampaging energy” “seemed to sing, dance, strut, and glide their way through the music” (The New Yorker). In addition to Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet, the Danish String Quartet will perform original works based on Nordic folk music composed and arranged for them.
Downtown with Imani Winds: Amplify
A Free Community Concert
Monday, August 3, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Federated Church of Hyannis, 320 Main Street, Hyannis
Imani Winds
- Brandon Patrick George, flute
- Mekhi Gladden, oboe
- Mark Dover, clarinet
- Kevin Newton, horn
- Monica Ellis, bassoon
Celebrating nearly three decades of transformative music-making, the GRAMMY®-winning and four-time nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and an evolution of the wind quintet. Imani Winds will perform a wide range of exciting wind quintets from across the centuries, beginning with an arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They’ll play Pacquito D’Rivera’s A Little Cuban Waltz, written for them and commissioned by the Imani Winds Foundation. The evening also includes Elliott Carter’s 1948 wind quintet, the late Lalo Schifrin’s La Nouvelle Orleans from 1987, and Shawn Okpebholo’s Rise, written in 2023. Imani Winds will make this fun summer evening sparkle.
The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival will present this concert free to the community. All are welcome and no tickets are required.
The Borromeo: Luminous Beauty
Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Federated Church of Hyannis, 320 Main Street, Hyannis
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Friday, August 7, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main Street, Wellfleet
Borromeo String Quartet
- Nicholas Kitchen, violin
- Kristopher Tong, violin
- Melissa Reardon, viola
- Yeesun Kim, cello
One of the most important ensembles of our time, the award-winning Borromeo String Quartet has been hailed for its “edge-of-the-seat performances” by The Boston Globe, which called it “simply the best.” A fan favorite and pillar of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival for many years, the Borromeo is admired and sought after for both its fresh interpretations of the classical music canon and its championing of works by 20th and 21st century composers. The Chicago Tribune praised the Borromeo as “a remarkably accomplished string quartet, not simply for its high technical polish and refined tone, but more importantly for the searching musical insights it brings.” The San Diego Reader described the ensemble’s performance as “a musical experience of luminous beauty.”
Performances in Hyannis and Wellfleet will feature Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1 and Antonín Dvorák’s String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat Major.
Following the performance of The Borromeo: Luminous Beauty at the First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, join the musicians for a private post-concert dinner hosted by a Festival board member at Chapel in the Pines in Eastham. This special opportunity is available for an additional donation of $100. Seating is limited.
Harlem Quartet: Pushing Boundaries
Monday, August 10, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main Street, Chatham
Harlem Quartet
- Ilmar Gavilán, violin
- Melissa White, violin
- Jaime Amador, viola
- Felix Umansky, cello
Returning to the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, the GRAMMY®-winning Harlem Quartet has earned acclaim for its dynamic performances and fresh approach to classical music. Originally founded in 2006 by the Sphinx Organization (and making its public debut that year at Carnegie Hall), the ensemble was conceived as an instrument to realize a much bigger goal: to diversify and create new audiences for classical music, as well as to commission and perform works written by contemporary composers.
Their cross-pollination of classical, contemporary, jazz, and Latin-infused repertoire makes Harlem Quartet concerts appealing to a wide audience. Their work in bringing classical music to schools in Harlem and around the world is in line with the cultural renaissance Harlem represents for African-Americans. Harlem Quartet won a GRAMMY for their performance on Imani Wind’s album Jeff Scott’s Passion for Bach and Coltrane, and their most recent album, Havana Meets Harlem, was nominated for a Best Instrumental Album Latin GRAMMY.
Harlem Quartet will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5 and works by Guido López-Gavilán, William Bolcom, and Aldo López-Gavilán.
Festival Artistic Directors Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu will lead a Talk Back with the Harlem Quartet following their performance.
Jazz at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival: Steve Wilson, Renee Rosnes, and David Wong
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road, Cotuit
- Steve Wilson, saxophone
- Renee Rosnes, piano
- David Wong, bass
Jazz Times calls award-winning Steve Wilson “the consummate saxophonist-composer” and “one of the finest alto and soprano saxophonists of our time.” Steve was a member of Chick Corea’s GRAMMY®-winning sextet Origin and toured the U.S. and Europe with Lionel Hampton. Steve is a core member of the Maria Schneider Orchestra, an 18-member ensemble made up of many of the finest musicians in jazz today, and a regular member of the Billy Childs Quartet.
Renee Rosnes’ distinguished career continues to reach new heights, marked by new music, compelling collaborations, and ever-evolving artistry. She was a ten-year member of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Her ensemble, Artemis, was named Jazz Group of the Year for three consecutive years (2023-2025) in Downbeat’s Annual Readers Poll. Her most recent recording, Crossing Paths, spent six weeks at No. 1 on the JazzWeek National Radio charts and is nominated for a 2026 JUNO award for Jazz Album of the Year. In 2018, the Montréal Jazz Festival honored Renee with the Oscar Peterson Prize in recognition of her exceptional contributions to jazz. She is married to and collaborates with Bill Charlap, also a world-renowned jazz pianist.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied classical music, David Wong is a sought-after bass player. He has held the bass chair with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for over 16 years, and is currently a member of the Bill Charlap Trio, Charles McPherson Quintet, and Terell Stafford Quintet. David was a member of Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth band for 15 years, of the Heath Brother’s Quartet, led by Jimmy Heath and Albert “Tootie” Heath, for 13 years, and of Hank Jones’ Great Jazz Trio and is featured on the piano master’s last recording. David has appeared on over 80 recordings, including Samara Joy’s GRAMMY-winning album, Linger a While.
Selections will be announced from the stage.
Following the performance of Jazz at the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, join the musicians for a private post-concert dinner in the home of a Festival board member in Sandwich. This special opportunity is available for an additional donation of $100. Seating is limited.
Alchemy: Classical Meets Jazz
Featuring the Harlem Quartet with Steve Wilson, Renee Rosnes, and David Wong
Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Simon Center for the Arts, Falmouth Academy, 7 Highfield Drive, Falmouth
– and –
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main Street, Wellfleet
Harlem Quartet:
- Ilmar Gavilán, violin
- Melissa White, violin
- Jaime Amador, viola
- Felix Umansky, cello
Steve Wilson, alto and soprano saxophone
Renee Rosnes, piano
David Wong, bass
The GRAMMY®-winning Harlem Quartet and outstanding jazz musicians Steve Wilson, Renee Rosnes, and David Wong will fuse classical and jazz forms in an evening that will include three world premieres. One is a new work commissioned for the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival and composed by Rosnes for jazz trio and classical string quartet. The Festival also commissioned two new arrangements for jazz trio and classical string quartet by GRAMMY-winning composer and orchestra leader Maria Schneider of her pieces Sky Blue and Walking by Flashlight. Harlem Quartet will perform Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major and Aldo López-Gavilán’s Frère Jacques.
Following the August 13 performance in Falmouth, Festival Artistic Director Jon Manasse will lead a Talk Back with the Harlem Quartet, Wilson, Rosnes, and Wong.
Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo: Celebrate!
Monday, August 17, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main Street, Chatham
Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo
- Jon Manasse, clarinet
- Jon Nakamatsu, piano
The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival celebrates 20 years since Jon Manasse and Jon Nakamatsu joined as Artistic Directors with this special performance. Clarinetist Manasse and pianist Nakamatsu tour as the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo. Following their Boston debut in 2004, the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo released its first CD for harmonia mundi usa, Brahms: Clarinet Sonatas Op. 120 Nos. 1 & 2, which received the highest praise from The New York Times Classical Music Editor James Oestreich, naming it among the Best of the Year for 2008.
The Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo’s performance will feature a wide variety of works by Leonard Bernstein, Felix Mendelssohn, Lowell Liebermann, and Gordon Goodwin. In honor of their anniversary, Jon and Jon will also present three previous Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival commissions by Pacquito D’Rivera, Vivian Fung, and John Novacek.
The private post-concert dinner following the performance of Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo: Celebrate! is sold out.
Renaissance String Quartet: Artistic Explosion
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Road, Cotuit
Renaissance String Quartet
- Randall Goosby, violin
- Jeremiah Blacklow, violin
- Jameel Martin, viola
- Daniel Hass, cello
The exciting young Renaissance String Quartet make their debut with the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival. Founded in 2021 by violinists Randall Goosby and Jeremiah Blacklow, violist Jameel Martin, and cellist Daniel Hass, the New York City-based quartet was formed on the basis of over a decade of friendship at The Perlman Music Program and The Juilliard School. The Renaissance String Quartet is driven by a desire to reimagine the role and capacity of the string quartet as a vehicle for change, inspiring audiences, students, and collaborators around the world. They received a 2024 career grant from Salon de Virtuosi and were featured on WQXR, New York City’s premier classical music radio station.
This incredibly creative and talented ensemble will perform String Quartet No. 2 in A minor by Florence Price, Adagio and Fugue in C minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and String Quartet No. 1 in A minor by Béla Bartók.
Festival Finale!
Friday, August 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
First Congregational Church of Wellfleet, 200 Main Street, Wellfleet
- Jon Manasse, clarinet
- Jon Nakamatsu, piano
- Jeremiah Blacklow, violin
- Jameel Martin, viola
- Daniel Hass, cello
Jon Manasse, clarinet, and Jon Nakamatsu, piano will close out the 2026 Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival with three outstanding young musicians from the Renaissance String Quartet: Jeremiah Blacklow, violin, Jameel Martin, viola, and Daniel Hass, cello.
Jon and Jon are two distinguished chamber musicians, Co-Artistic Directors of the Festival, and the heart and soul of the summer season. Jeremiah, Jameel, and Daniel are three of tomorrow’s superstars with wide-ranging interests and a dedication to education and philanthropy; they’ve already had impressive achievements in their young careers. Together, these special talents will meet to present a beautiful evening of music.
This concert will feature performances of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Trio in B-flat Major for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello, Op. 11; The Gork for Solo Piano by Elena Ruehr; and Gabriel Fauré’s Quartet No. 1 in C minor for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano, Op. 15. Boston and Wellfleet-based composer Elena Ruehr is a longtime festival supporter, and her work has been performed widely on the Cape by the Cypress String Quartet and others.
Festival Information
Tickets for the 2026 Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival are on sale now. All tickets are general admission. Price: $40. Students: $20. Children 14 and under: Free. NOTE: Tickets for the July 31 concert with the Danish String Quartet are $55 each.
The Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival is supported in part by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. The Festival is also supported by Cape Cod 5 and South Shore Playhouse Associates/Cape Cod Melody Tent, and by generous individuals and businesses.
For more information on the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, please visit capecodchambermusic.org, call 508.247.9400, or email info@capecodchambermusic.org. Follow the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival on Facebook and Instagram.