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CLASSIC. ENGAGING. ADVENTUROUS.

Rembrandt Chamber Musicians

Discover what makes us unique.

Classic

Rembrandt Chamber Musicians performs a broad spectrum of music for small ensemble. With a wide-ranging repertoire encompassing the baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary eras, Rembrandt’s concerts feature the masterpieces you love paired with new works and hidden gems you will be pleased to discover.

Engaging

Each Rembrandt concert brings great music to you—and brings you into the music. Intimate venues pull you close to the performers, while thoughtful program notes and commentary offer insights that deepen your connection with the music. Complementary Encore! receptions provide a relaxed, friendly setting for meeting the performers and enjoying a glass of wine after each concert.

Adventurous

Rembrandt is also invested in the future of chamber music, commissioning innovative new music by living composers and performing remarkable works by less-familiar composers. Performers from other artistic disciplines regularly join Rembrandt’s musicians in exciting collaborations, adding another dimension of discovery.

About Us

Founded in the fall of 1990, Rembrandt Chamber Musicians features six of the most highly accomplished musicians in the Chicago area, including principal members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The ensemble’s expansive repertoire, ranging from historically informed performances of baroque classics to contemporary works by local composers, has consistently garnered high praise and recognition.

Since its inception, Rembrandt has actively commissioned thirteen new works and six arrangements by renowned composers from the Chicago area and beyond. In 2012 Rembrandt presented the only Chicago performance of Wynton Marsalis’ A Fiddler’s Tale, pairing it with Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat. In 2008 Rembrandt began The Mahler Project, a three-year retrospective of Schoenberg’s chamber arrangements of Mahler’s large symphonic works, receiving excellent reviews from the Chicago Tribune. In 2014 Rembrandt commissioned and premiered a new sonata for oboe and piano by GRAMMY Award winner and multi-instrumentalist Howard Levy as well as new works and arrangements by David Schrader, Sebastian Huydts, and Peter Labella. In 2017 Rembrandt presented the Midwest premiere of Dana Wilson’s Gold Mosaic and the world premiere of Sebastian Huydts’ Trio for oboe, viola, and piano.

Deeply committed to fostering chamber music education and appreciation, Rembrandt founded its highly acclaimed Annual High School Chamber Music Competition in 1995, an event that continues to draw participants from the Music Institute of Chicago, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Midwest Young Artists, Merit School of Music, and a variety of public and private schools throughout the state. Winning ensembles receive cash prizes, coaching sessions from Rembrandt musicians, and performance opportunities and participate in educational outreach projects for Chicago-area schools that lack an established music program.

In June 2015 John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune hailed Rembrandt as “one of the more notable success stories in Chicago chamber music,” going on to say that “regular appearances by guest artists help keep Rembrandt’s repertory fresh and varied.” In his review of Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, von Rhein praised the ensemble for its “infectious verve, spontaneity, and abundance of feeling.” Rembrandt’s concerts are regularly selected as the Chicago Tribune’s top classical music pick of the week and are rebroadcast on WFMT classical radio throughout the year.

Meet Our Musicians

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Calum Cook

Cello
Calum Cook

Principal Cello
Lyric Opera Orchestra
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Carol Cook

Viola
Carol Cook

Principal Viola
Lyric Opera Orchestra
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John Macfarlane

Violin
John Macfarlane

Assistant Principal Second Violin
Lyric Opera Orchestra
Visit our musicians page to learn more about these and other incredible artists

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