It is a sunny Friday in May and Notre Dame’s Arts Gateway is bustling as 230 phenomenal chamber musicians from across the globe descend upon the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) and O’Neill Hall of Music to compete in the 51st Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The nation’s largest, longest-running, and most prestigious chamber music competition has captivated audiences on Notre Dame’s campus since 2002, and launched the careers of hundreds of young chamber musicians.
This year’s three-day chamber music extravaganza included musicians representing 35 countries and 37 states from the finest music programs and conservatories. Every practice room in O’Neill Hall and DPAC was in use as they eagerly prepared for their moment on the Fischoff Mainstage. Their music filled the air with strains of classical favorites by Haydn, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn, mingled with exciting new composers such as Jessie Montgomery, Caroline Shaw, Gabriela Lena Frank, Viet Cuong and Carlos Simon.
What truly sets this event apart was the impact of the competition on the broader community. Audience members stream onto campus to hear these incredible young artists wondering who might be the next breakout ensemble or future GRAMMY nominee.
Through Fischoff’s generous donors, orchestra students from South Bend School Corporation’s LaSalle Academy and Clay International Academy were transported to campus to listen to the morning performances and then debrief over lunch in Duncan Student Center. Simultaneously, across the street at the sparkling new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, Notre Dame faculty, staff, area residents and visitors entered the vaulted entrance greeted by ethereal sounds during a lunchtime soiree with the Hesper Quartet, a string quartet from New York participating in the Senior Division of the Competition. Later in the day, more students arrive at DPAC, this time from the Goshen and Middlebury Boys & Girls Clubs. Students typically sprint to the front row of the Leighton Concert Hall to get a close-up view of the musicians on stage. Knowing they will benefit from Fischoff’s outreach programs next fall, they are delighted to play the role of juror to see if they can tell which group will medal and ultimately come visit their class.
On the first day alone, 59 breathtaking performances took place on campus, but what happened off-campus was equally as impressive. As visiting audiences flocked to the DPAC and O’Neill Hall, Fischoff musicians embraced the community. Senior Division ensembles performed lively concerts at homes, businesses, schools and historic community venues such as Beiger Mansion and Ruthmere, while 45 students from a dozen of Fischoff’s Junior Division ensembles packed up their instruments and visited elementary schools in St. Joseph, Elkhart and Berrien Counties as part of Fischoff’s Peer Ambassadors program. They performed for young students, answering questions and sharing their love of being musicians in order to light a spark and encourage them to become future musicians.
Learn more about Fischoff’s mission and the 2024 Fischoff competition winners.
