ChamberFest West-Continental Drifts

DATE :

Events Music Calgary

DEADLINE: July 19, 2026 - 5:00 pm

We’re thrilled to present Continental Drifts, ChamberFest West’s fifth annual chamber music festival. Join us July 14 to 19, 2026, for an extraordinary journey across continents and centuries, from the ancient griot traditions of West Africa to the concert halls of Vienna, from the wide open spaces of the American West to the drawing rooms of Paris, and everywhere in between. As always, you can expect breathtaking performances from some of the world’s finest chamber musicians.

Detailed Program Info:  Continental Drifts Program Information

Tickets and Festival passes: ShowPass Tickets

01 | COMMUNITY CONCERT 
TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2026 
7:30 - 9:00 pm 
cSPACE MARDA LOOP 
1721 29 Avenue SW, Calgary 

Join us on the front lawn at cSpace for a free concert showcasing some of our amazing festival musicians. Bring a blanket or chair, relax in the setting sun, and savour some sublime music. 

02 | PANGAEA 
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2026 
7:30 - 9:30 pm 
BELLA CONCERT HALL AT TAYLOR CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS. 

ChamberFest West opens its fifth season to a world without borders. This celebratory program journeys across continents, beginning with African Classical Music featuring master kora player Tunde Jegede and the vivid storytelling of Chinese folklore, followed by the hypnotic Piano Phase by American minimalist Steve Reich and the high-octane, dance charged virtuosity of Matthew Hindson’s Rush. The program concludes with Johannes Brahms’s Sextet in G major—often called his most ethereal large-scale work—unfolding with deep romantic lyricism and a rich, enveloping warmth.

 03 | 300 YEARS OF GROOVE 
THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2026 
7:30 - 8:45 pm 
THE GRAND 
608 1st Street SW, Calgary 

Violin phenom Kerson Leong opens with a burst of brilliance, leading a seamless, no-intermission journey from the radiant clarity of Johann Sebastian Bach through the shimmering virtuosity of Francisco Tárrega and Eugène Ysaÿe, while Charles Ives’ bold, experimental Piano Trio introduces unexpected twists along the way. The energy spills into Clancy Newman’s electrifying arrangements of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah for cello choir, before culminating in Ernő Dohnányi’s Sextet—a vibrant blend of Romantic sweep, wit, and a touch of shadow beneath its luminous surface. 

04 | FRICTION & SPARKS 
FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2026 
7:30 - 9:30 pm
THE ROZSA CENTRE, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY 

 This program moves between elegance and intensity. Franz Danzi’s Wind Quintet is genial and playful, its textures light and full of charm, while Dmitri Shostakovich’s late Violin Sonata cuts deeper—spare, intense, and haunting in its stark introspection. After the break, Venezuelan-French composer Reynaldo Hahn’s Piano Quintet surges with passion, offering dramatic fervor, evocative colors, and a sweeping sense of release.

05 | NEW WORLD 
SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2026 
7:30 - 9:30 pm 
BELLA CONCERT HALL   

From the Catalan Baroque virtuosity of José Plà and Juan Bautista Plà to the imaginative colours of Gryphonsong by “brilliant and compelling” Vincent Ho, this program explores musical horizons. Aaron Copland’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Appalachian Spring celebrates the American pioneer spirit with themes of hope, love, and community, leading to Antonín Dvořák’s String Quintet in E-flat major—shaped by his travels to the New World and created in a particularly joyful, optimistic frame of mind.

06 | GRAND FINALE —SCHUBERT’S “TROUT” 
SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2026 
3:00 - 5:00 pm 
BELLA CONCERT HALL 

We close our season with a buoyant program, beginning with Joseph Haydn’s sparkling, extroverted Piano Trio in C major, followed by the wit and drive of Sergei Prokofiev’s sardonic Quintet, then the raw, high-energy sound of Jörg Widmann, one of today’s most versatile and compelling musical voices. The festival ends with Franz Schubert’s iconic “Trout” Quintet—radiant, generous, and full of life—a final celebration of pure, shared joy!