About Chamberfest

Ottawa Chamberfest is one of Canada’s leading arts organizations, presenting chamber music through an acclaimed summer festival, a year-round Concert Series, and a suite of Community Engagement and Education (CEE) programs. Founded in 1994, its first season—then known as the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival—featured 22 concerts and was an immediate success. Over three decades later, Chamberfest has grown into one of the world’s largest and most respected chamber music festivals, presenting hundreds of artists annually and welcoming tens of thousands of listeners.

Chamberfest enjoys a worldwide reputation as a visionary and inclusive voice in the arts. We showcase the biggest names on the international scene, globally recognized Canadians, and world-class local artists. We champion unique collaborations, provide opportunities for the next generation through masterclasses and youth showcases, and invest in accessible and inclusive concert settings for palliative, dementia, disability, and neurodiverse communities.

Our curation, rooted in chamber music tradition, embraces new works, diverse artists, and cross-genre collaborations that push boundaries and connect communities. Performances animate venues across the National Capital Region—from Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre and Beechwood Cemetery’s Sacred Space to the lawn of City Hall, museums, embassies, and heritage sites—reflecting Chamberfest’s commitment to accessibility and artistic innovation.

Throughout the year, Chamberfest cultivates new audiences with relevant programming, brings fresh experiences to established ones, and partners with local and national organizations to expand our reach. We feature Indigenous, LGBTQ2S+, francophone, youth, new-generation, and genre-defying musicians, presenting innovative artists from a wide range of cultures and musical traditions. Our long-standing partnerships include the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Beechwood Cemetery’s Sacred Space, University of Ottawa Music, Carleton University, Rideau Hall, The Record Centre, and many more.

The summer festival remains our flagship, now spanning more than two weeks of performances by hundreds of artists across multiple venues. Recent seasons have featured more than 75 performances across 12 venues, including mainstage concerts, Chamberfringe late-night explorations, and outdoor shows in neighbourhood spaces. Our Concert Series programs world-class artists year-round, offering remarkable performances, fresh takes on beloved works, and new Canadian and international compositions.

Artists who have appeared at Chamberfest include James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Cheng² Duo (Bryan & Silvie Cheng), Marc-André Hamelin, Wallis Giunta, the Emerson String Quartet, the Gesualdo Six, Julie Nesrallah, the Borodin Quartet, Nadia Sirota, Isabel Bayrakdarian, the Danish String Quartet, Charles Richard-Hamelin, the Gryphon Trio, Jan Lisiecki, Simone Dinnerstein, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Cris Derksen, Sir András Schiff, and thousands more.

Gryphon Trio cellist Roman Borys served as Artistic and Executive Director from 2007 to 2020. Since 2020, Carissa Klopoushak has served as Artistic Director, bringing a bold, imaginative, and community-driven approach to programming, and in 2025, Cate Proctor was appointed Executive Director. That same year, Chamberfest achieved its highest ticket sales since before the pandemic.

Now in its 32nd year, Chamberfest continues to change lives through music—fostering community, inclusion, and artistic excellence.