Concord Chamber Music Society Names New Co-Artistic Directors

Parker Quartet players Jessica Bodner and Daniel Chong will step into the role

Founded by Boston Symphony Orchestra violinist Wendy Putnam in January of 2000, the Concord Chamber Music Society (CCMS) aims to present affordable, high-quality chamber music concerts. In the upcoming season, the festival is celebrating its quarter-century anniversary.

CCMS recently announced the appointment of two new Co-Artistic Directors in the form of founding Parker Quartet players Jessica Bodner and Daniel Chong. The husband-and-wife duo will step into the role from the opening of the 2025/26 season.

Alongside her work with the GRAMMY Award-winning Parker Quartet, violist Jessica Bodner has appeared at Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Library of Congress, Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, and the Musikverein, among many others.

A skilled pedagogue, she has held faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music — and is currently Professor in the Practice at Harvard University. Bodner has recorded for ECM Records, Zig-Zag Territoires, Nimbus, and NAXOS.

Violinist Daniel Chong is the recipient of the Cleveland Quartet Award, as well as top prizes at the Concert Artists Guild Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. He has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Denver Chamber Music Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Chamberfest West, Mostly Mozart, Bridgehampton, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the Perigord Noir Music Festival.

An advocate of new music, Chong has worked with some of the foremost composers of our own time, including György Kurtág, Augusta Read Thomas, Helmut Lachenmann, and Chaya Czernowin.

"We are delighted to welcome Daniel and Jessica to our community," said Dr. Nancy Sokol, CCMS President. "Their combined extraordinary talents, vision, and passion for the arts will lead our organization into an exciting new chapter."

"Together, they bring a wealth of experience, fresh perspectives, and an inspiring commitment to artistic excellence. We look forward to the innovative and impactful seasons they will create. We are confident that our community will continue to thrive and be inspired under their visionary artistic leadership."

"We are thrilled to introduce ourselves as the new Co-Artistic Directors of the Concord Chamber Music," said Chong and Bodner. "Stepping into this role at the end of this celebratory 25th season is both exciting and an honor. We cannot imagine a more fitting place to bring our passion for chamber music than to this outstanding organization."

"As founding members of the Parker Quartet, we have dedicated over twenty years to performing chamber music around the world. For us, chamber music is not just a vocation; it is a way of life that embodies listening closely to diverse voices, collaborating with joy, and fostering spontaneity and creativity. These essential elements are fundamental to the transformative power of chamber music."