Presenting contemporary chamber repertoire and encouraging the composition of new works is an integral part of our mission. Since 2000 we’ve held two new music competitions, drawing entries from throughout the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
In 2003, we initiated our commissioning project with the piano quintet, “Voodoo Trances, Spectral Dances”. This work, written by New York composer, Marek Harris, premiered to a wildly enthusiastic crowd. In May 2004, we followed up with another premiere: Harris’s Duo-Sonata for Two Violins, commissioned by the Finger Lakes Chamber Ensemble and friends in honor of the marriage of FLCE members Patricia Sunwoo and David Brickman.
In October 2006 we premiered David Liptak’s Quintet for Piano and String Quartet — the result of a joint commission undertaken in collaboration with the Cassatt Quartet and made possible through a generous contribution. The Ensemble is also excited by the prospect of commissioning another new work which we’ll premiere for our twentieth season celebration.