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In mid-March 2020, the live classical music field went into a full meltdown. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered concert halls worldwide, in the process spawning a revolution in online programming that has since transformed the relationships between thousands of non-profit arts organizations and their millions of listeners. In the field of chamber music – small ensembles performing without a conductor – Chamber Music Detroit and its CameraMusic platform emerged almost immediately as important leaders in this movement, both locally and nationally.

Two days after the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global pandemic (and just one day after every other major arts organization in Metro Detroit shut its doors), Chamber Music Detroit presented its first-ever live webcast concert in partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, reaching over 3,000 people in Europe, Asia and North America.  Intended solely as a temporary substitute for in-person programming, CMDetroit’s CameraMusic “1.0” platform quickly evolved into a broader collaborative effort, with dozens of near-weekly webcasts serving as a lifeboat of human connection to stranded audiences both here in Metro Detroit and in partnerships with a growing list of peer organizations across North America. 

As collaborative webcasts expanded throughout 2020 and 2021, organizations in Detroit and elsewhere were invited to “piggyback” on CMDetroit’s growing capacity and expertise. As a result, 70 different organizations reached a combined audience of more than 200,000 listeners on six continents, while dozens of otherwise idled artists were compensated and provided with a vital channel to reach their audiences. In addition, virtual classroom programs in partnership with Detroit schools demonstrated the effectiveness of webcasting as an important tool in music education. Throughout the pandemic - in spite of troubled equipment supply chains - Chamber Music Detroit managed to make incremental improvements in CameraMusic “2.0” webcasting systems and equipment, ultimately settling upon a high standard of technical quality that was appropriately responsive to the demands of a rapidly growing local and national reputation.

As most chamber music organizations resumed in-person programming in mid-2021, Chamber Music Detroit continued presenting CameraMusic live webcasts in tandem with its live concerts. In fact, since CMDetroit’s first post-pandemic in-person concert on May 1, 2021, every concert has been presented as a “hybrid” - presented live in person and online on CameraMusic. In Metro Detroit, Chamber Music Detroit’s subscribers have been offered complimentary online subscriptions as a backup to their in-person experience, and CMDetroit’s subscriber family has grown nationally to include virtual subscribers in about 15 states and Canadian provinces. In addition to broadening our audience geographically, CameraMusic has made it possible for long term subscribers who have aged-out of full participation in traditional concerts to remain engaged and connected in the CMDetroit musical family. 

CameraMusic is here to stay: building and deepening relationships with CMDetroit’s loyal core of listeners in Metro Detroit; expanding the reach of CMDetroit concerts to new listeners across the country and around the world; impacting young people in schools where geographic, financial, or accessibility issues prevent students from receiving the benefits of a solid education in music; and building strong partnerships with chamber music presenters and other like-minded institutions for whom the future preservation and growth of this vital art form is their enduring passion.