Seattle Chamber Music Society

The Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) is a chamber music festival located in Seattle, Washington that is dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. Established in 1982, the presenting organization is currently in its 43rd Anniversary Season. Originally the organization presented a series of summer concerts during the month of July at the Lakeside School. However, in 1999 the organization added a series of winter concerts during the month of January at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. In 2005 they expanded their summer series to include further performances during the month of August at The Overlake School in addition to the July performances. In the fall of 2021, SCMS opened the Center for Chamber Music in downtown Seattle on 6th Avenue and Union Street. The new hall features the Dr. Kennan Hollingsworth Living Room which serves as a 70 seats recital hall, as well as office and event space.

SCMS was founded by Toby Saks, a cellist and music professor at the University of Washington, who served as artistic director until she handed over to Grammy Award-winning violinist James Ehnes about a year before her death on August 1, 2013. Ehnes had been associate artistic director since 2008, and John Holloway has been executive director since 2021.