The Paramount Theater of Charlottesville

FREE ONE-HOUR COMMUNITY CONCERT

No tickets or registration necessary

The Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival returns for its 27th season, September 8–19, 2026, with two weeks of concerts that explore the influence of revolutionary thought in this 250th anniversary year of our nation. Founded in 2000 by Charlottesville natives and accomplished musicians Raphael Bell and Tim Summers, the Festival continues its tradition of bringing internationally acclaimed musicians to Charlottesville for performances that combine artistic excellence with emotional connection and intellectual curiosity.

In keeping with its commitment to community access and engagement, the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival will again present a free Community Concert at The Paramount Theater, offering audiences an opportunity to experience world-class chamber music in an informal and welcoming setting. The one-hour program will feature Festival artists in a performance designed to be accessible to longtime concertgoers and first-time listeners alike. The event reflects the Festival’s belief that live music can bring people together across generations and backgrounds, fostering connection through shared artistic experience.

School groups and other groups of 10 or more that need to be seated together, please call our Box Office to let us know of your attendance.

Raphael Bell, Jennifer Frautschi, Judith Gordon, Simone Porter, Raman Ramakrishnan, Dov Scheindlin, Tim Summers

​Sponsored by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation

Other 2026 Festival concerts at The Paramount include ticketed events on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:30PM; Thursday, September 17 at 7:30PM; and Saturday, September 19 at 7:30PM.

About the Musicians

Raphael Bell is principal cello of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Belgium, Co-Founder of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, and Co-Artistic Director of La Loingtaine in Montigny-sur-Loing, France. He has performed at Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Salle Gaveau, Berlin Philharmonie, Köln Philharmonie, Luzerner Theater, the American Academy in Rome, Tokyo Suntory Hall, and Kyoto Concert Hall, and at festivals including Ferrara Musica, Wiener Festwochen, Elba Festival, Sonoro Musikland, Ravinia, Verbier, and Resonance Festival Belgium. After growing up in Charlottesville, Raphael studied at The Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro, and later with Mario Brunello, Steven Isserlis, and Ferenc Rados. He now resides in Antwerp, Belgium with violinist Aki Saulière, and their son, Tomo.

Two-time GRAMMY nominee and Avery Fisher career grant recipient violinist Jennifer Frautschi has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and St Paul Chamber Orchestra. As chamber musician she has performed with the Boston Chamber Music Society and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and appeared at Chamber Music Northwest, La Jolla Summerfest, Music@Menlo, Tippet Rise Art Center, Toronto Summer Music, and the Bridgehampton, Lake Champlain, Moab, Ojai, Santa Fe, Seattle, and Spoleto Music Festivals.  She was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit.

Pianist Judith Gordon explores diverse repertoire in collaboration with an exceptionally wide range of solo artists and ensembles. She was a member of the percussion-based Essential Music, focusing on the American Experimental tradition, and has been soloist in works from Bach and Ravel to Cage and Boulez with groups including the Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. An associate professor of music at Smith College from 2006-20, she is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where she recently received an Outstanding Alumni Award. Now based in New Mexico, she plays regularly with the musicians of ChatterABQ.

Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. She has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle, and Pittsburgh Symphonies and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, Donald Runnicles, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Louis Langrée, and David Danzmayr. Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In March 2015, she was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Cellist Raman Ramakrishnan enjoys performing chamber music, old and new, around the world. For two decades, as a founding member of the Horszowski Trio and the Daedalus Quartet, he toured extensively through North and South America, Europe, and Asia, and recorded for Bridge Records and Avie Records, including the complete piano trios of Robert Schumann and the complete string quartets of Fred Lerdahl. He is currently an artist member of the Boston Chamber Music Society and is on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
He served on the faculties of the Kneisel Hall, Norfolk, and Taconic Chamber Music Festivals, as well as in the Music Performance Program of Columbia University.

Acclaimed by The New York Times as an “extraordinary violist” of “immense flair,” Dov Scheindlin has built an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and educator. A member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and associate member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, he also served as Artistic Director and Program Coordinator of Orpheus from 2013–2016. He has performed in 28 countries and appeared as soloist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. He has taught at Harvard, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Tanglewood, and currently performs with Quartet 212.

Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival since 2000, violinist Tim Summers is a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and has performed on violin, viola, and occasionally mandolin with the orchestra across the world while also serving on the orchestra’s board. He is also artistic director and developer of the MCO’s ‘Future Presence’ Immersive Audio project with sound artist Henrik Oppermann, and has served as director of the orchestra’s own Festival in Hitzacker, Niedersachsen, Germany, focusing on music and the history of cryptography. Tim has performed as a chamber musician at festivals across the United States and Europe. He served as second violinist of the Orpheus String Quartet, and was for several years a participant in the Emmanuel Music cycle of Bach Cantatas in Boston, led by John Harbison and the late Craig Smith.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO! The Paramount Theater is pleased to bring diverse programming to the stage and screen. The Theater does not provide advisories about subject matter for events, as sensitivities vary. Not all events may appeal to, or be appropriate for, every person. Patrons are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the shows offered in order to make informed decisions prior to purchasing tickets.

In addition to show synopses, trailers, and reviews on our web events, other resources about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches. For further questions, please contact the Box Office at 434.979.1333 or at boxoffice@theparamount.net, 10AM-2PM Monday-Friday + 1 hour before events.