Seattle Chamber Music Society

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, July 2, 2008

It’s hard to come up with legitimate gripes about the format of the smoothly functioning, fan-base-satisfying summer concerts of the Seattle Chamber Music Society (in their 27th season), though I do still have my reservations about the programming. The summer’s entire pre-Mozart repertory, for example, consists of one Bach cello suite (on Gabriel Cabezas’ Emerging Artist Concert, July 24). No reason to abandon a whole century of lovely repertory to the early-music crowd. The SCMS is making intrepid forays into modernity, though; the whole six-week shebang kicks off July 7 with Aaron Jay Kernis’ Two Movements (with Bells), and this summer’s premiere is Jeffrey Cotton’s Trio for Flute, Viola, and Harp (July 21). It’s a product of their Commissioning Club, music lovers who’ve banded together to make a financial commitment to annual new work—one of the SCMS’s best ideas yet. Other highlights include Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet (July 30), Ligeti’s Cello Sonata (Aug. 1), and Schubert’s String Quintet (Aug. 8). As usual, each 8 p.m. concert is preceded by a more-informal 7 p.m. recital. Lakeside School, 14050 First Ave. N.E., 283-8808, www.seattlechambermusic.org. Single tickets $16-$42. Opens July 7; runs Mon., Wed., & Fri., through Aug. 15. GAVIN BORCHERT

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 7 & 8 p.m.; Thu., July 24, 7:30 p.m.; Tue., July 29, 7 p.m.; Tue., Aug. 12, 7 p.m. Starts: July 7. Continues through Aug. 15, 2008