CCM boasts a world-class Chamber Music department with a decades-long history of excellence in chamber music instruction and performance.
String, brass, wind, piano, percussion and vocal students in the chamber program play in one or more of the 70+ chamber ensembles each semester, receive weekly chamber music coachings, attend and perform in master classes given by acclaimed visiting artists, and have numerous opportunities to perform both on and off campus, including Chamber Bashes at the end of every semester.
Each Spring, students may apply to the annual CCM Chamber Competition, where they compete for six cash prizes across two divisions, with the winners performing in a double recital event that is a highlight of the CCM chamber program.
The Ariel Quartet has served as the faculty string quartet-in-residence at CCM since 2012. The ensemble—Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov (violins), Jan Grüning (viola), and Amit Even-Tov (cello)—integrates performance, teaching and mentorship into the heart of CCM’s chamber music program. Learn more about the Ariel Quartet.
Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar
Questions? Email Professor Nick Photinos.
The Poiesis Quartet, graduate string quartet-in-residence at CCM: Sarah Ying Ma, Max Ball, Jasper de Boor and Drew Dansby.
CCM currently hosts a graduate string quartet-in-residence, a rigorous two-year program of intense study with the Ariel String Quartet, Nick Photinos, and others that culminates in an Artist Diploma in Strings. Intended for pre-formed quartets working towards a professional chamber music career, the program offers flexibility within academic classwork and scheduling to allow the students to pursue concertizing while earning their degree.
For more information about this specialized program, please contact the Ariel Quartet.
Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.
If approved during the prescreening round, students will be invited for a live audition on campus. This audition will satisfy both the quartet audition and the individual audition for the degree program to which you applied. You will not be required to audition twice.
Recorded auditions are permitted and must be uploaded to Acceptd by February 1.
The LaSalle Quartet in the late 1970s: Peter Kamnitzer, Lee Fiser, Walter Levin and Henry Meyer.
The rich history of chamber music at CCM in the modern era can be traced back to the LaSalle Quartet, who taught at CCM from 1953-1987, with members of the quartet continuing to teach at the college until 2017. The members of the LaSalle Quartet mentored a generation of string quartets, including the Alban Berg, Artis, Buchberger, Pražák, and Vogler Quartets. More recently, they mentored the Ariel String Quartet, who since 2012 have carried on the LaSalle’s legacy at CCM. The Tokyo String Quartet (1988-1998) and Amernet Quartet (1996-2000) also held residencies at the college.
CCM is also known for its long history and commitment to contemporary chamber music. This also began with the LaSalle Quartet, best known for its performances and recordings of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern) as well as the premieres of Lutosławski's String Quartet and Ligeti’s Second String Quartet, now standards of the quartet repertoire. This continued with CCM hiring Percussion Group Cincinnati in 1979, with one member of the group (Professor Russell Burge) still teaching at CCM today. Percussion Group Cincinnati mentored a new generation of percussionists and chamber musicians including Eighth Blackbird (1996-), a new music sextet who studied at CCM from 1997-2000 and went on to numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards and the $400,000 MacArthur Award for Effective and Creative Institutions. That legacy continues with the 2023 hire of Nick Photinos (CCM ‘00), the founding cellist of Eighth Blackbird, as Professor of Chamber Music and Eminent Scholar.
Percussion Group Cincinnati: James Culley, Allen Otte and Russell Burge.
In addition to the Ariel Quartet and Nick Photinos, numerous faculty who coach chamber music at CCM have deep engagement with chamber music, and have served as members of the Aizuri Quartet, Canadian Brass, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Met Chamber Players, London Mozart Trio, Valor Brass, Fibonacci Sequence, Carillon Brass, Simon Winds and numerous other groups. The list of CCM faculty that have collaborated in concert and recording with professional chamber ensembles is even more vast.
August 1, 2025
CCM Dean Peter J. Jutras shares a message with the college community ahead of the 2025-26 academic year and performance season.
June 30, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Maggie Perrino as the college's new Assistant Dean of CCM Prep and Community Engagement. In this role, Perrino will lead a team of faculty and administrative staff at CCM Prep, which offers a wide variety of programs in music, dance and the theatre arts throughout the year for people of all ages and abilities. She will also oversee CCM’s Summer Programs for youth, teens and adults. Perrino's appointment begins on June 30, 2025.
June 4, 2025
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras recently announced the appointment of Jessie L. Grant, PhD, as CCM's new Assistant Dean of Student Services. In this role, Grant will coordinate CCM’s academic advising program, connect students with college and university-level resources, and evaluate CCM policies and processes to better serve the college’s undergraduate and graduate students. Grant's appointment officially began on June 2, 2025.
April 25, 2025
Four CCM faculty members were recently highlighted in a New York Times roundup of notable new classical music albums. Entitled "5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now," the article spotlights the new album of Beethoven's string quartets performed by the Ariel Quartet, which has served as CCM's string quartet-in-residence since 2012. The ensemble is comprised of four CCM faculty members: Alexandra “Sasha” Kazovsky, violin; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Gershon Gerchikov, violin; and Jan Grüning, viola.
November 27, 2024
Show your school spirit this spring with official CCM apparel! New UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel is available for purchase online. CCM's latest quarter zip and crewneck sweatshirt designs can be ordered online now through Dec. 8, 2024. You can preview both items below.
November 26, 2024
For the UC College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) community, Giving Tuesday offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact by supporting Student Health and Wellness. As our students dedicate themselves to the arts – pursuing rigorous schedules filled with practice, performance, and academic study – their mental and physical well-being is crucial.
November 18, 2024
Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)! The college’s spring 2025 schedule of major events is now available; tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.
November 15, 2024
The CCM Wind Ensemble and CCM Wind Symphony perform two programs of exciting repertoire over the span of two days — both performances feature guest conductor Mark Davis Scatterday. The November 20 “Masterworks” concert features the full Wind Ensemble in large-scale pieces ranging from Bernstein to Milhaud. The November 21 concert features the CCM Wind Symphony Chamber Winds, performing intimate selections from Mozart, Stravinsky and Grainger.. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.
November 1, 2024
UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will welcome a variety of new faculty and staff members to its roster of distinguished performing and media arts experts, researchers and educators this fall. In addition, the college is also welcoming several current faculty members into new leadership roles this year.
