Courtesy of Chamber Music by the Bay

Chamber Music by the Bay professionals visit and teach students at Castillero Middle School.

When Class of 2004 alumna Jessica Chang, a violist, left Saratoga to study in the halls of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, she never quite left her hometown behind. 

During her time at the renowned music school, she joined its community artists program, an initiative that grants opportunities to create a community-based organization funded by the school. Within the program, participants design and implement unique performance projects that combine artistry, leadership and citizenship.

That vision took shape in this area when she and a classmate named Zenas Hsu founded Chamber Music By the Bay (CMB) in her final year studying at Curtis.

CMB revolves around the belief that chamber music should live beyond elite concert halls and reach local communities. Above all, Chang wanted to give back to her alma mater by bringing chamber music performances to students and the broader community in her hometown. 

The final reassurance to start the initiative came from her former mentor — music director Michael Boitz.

“Boitz was totally on board with this ambitious idea of playing chamber music for a bunch of schools,” Chang said. “And we’ve been doing that since, all because of the unwavering support from Mr. Boitz, and the chance to try something new.”

Over the years, CMB has grown its core leadership team. Chang’s collaborators include violinist Hsu and cellist Laura Gaynon, and this year’s side-by-side concert on Jan. 9 in the SHS music building featured world-renowned violinist Hannah Tarley. These professionals played alongside SHS and Lynbrook High students.

Chang, a seasoned chamber musician and educator who directs CMB, drew on her extensive training at Yale, Curtis and Julliard to build the organization’s mission. 

The group has dedicated countless hours to spreading the language of music to the community. From working with preschool and elementary students to juniors and seniors in high school, CMB tailors its approach to meet students at every stage of musical development. 

In their visit to all orchestra classes in Saratoga High SHS on Jan. 6, the professionals shared the importance of chamber ensemble cohesiveness through communication — whether through eye contact or body movements. The session also introduced to students the underrepresented works of Emilie Mayer — one of history’s most prolific female composers — to broaden exposure to voices often absent from traditional repertoire.

Boitz, who supports the group and facilitated its showcase, feels appreciation for CMB’s work.

“It is a really good second semester introductory activity, because they talk about things that we would normally do in class,” Boitz said. “So they activate our brains in a creative sense right at the turn of the new year where it leaves an imprint.”

CMB also enjoys hosting frequent pop-ups throughout the year. Besides educational visits to schools across the Bay, the group has maintained a strong presence in the community through performing children’s library concerts, and holding instrument petting zoos where young kids could try the instruments. 

For example, through their partnership with the Santa Clara County library system, CMB performs regularly at the Cupertino library.

Throughout the group’s 14 years, the organization has continued delivering inspiring performances to the community. In part, a factor that enables them to keep going is being able to play chamber music — one of the most valuable experiences in a musical journey. 

By removing the conductor piece — the central force keeping the entire orchestra on board — from orchestral groups, chamber music teaches musicians to rely on each other for communication and grow as a small, collective voice. 

“There are so many lessons from life that are directly learned from chamber music — learning how to give and receive feedback, learning how to observe and learning how to try new ideas,” Chang said.

Additionally, CMB cherishes the connections made from annual side-by-side performances As Boitz puts it, “Musical friends are friends for life.”

According to Chang, the four founders of CMB still keep in touch with students from their very first year of side-by-side performances in 2012. While those students now have careers and have families, they’re still very much part of the Chamber Music by the Bay family.

“Whether students become musicians or not, being part of the CMB community is about sharing something we’re passionate about and carrying that drive and willingness to share into whatever they choose to do,” Chang said.