Lincoln Center Kicks Off Its Vero Season With "Beethoven Journey"

It started with a wild idea.

New York and Vero-based architect Scott Johnson (now part of the Clearpath development team for Three Corners) is friends with cellist David Finckel and his wife, pianist Wu Han, co-directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

"Come see our old power plant in Vero Beach and help us a design a future place there for CMS," Johnson said. So they did — and gave an impromptu concert. Soon after that, CMS began organizing three concerts every year from January to March at Trinity Episcopal Church.

David Finckel and Wu Han

The Chamber Music Society, founded in 1969 as part of Lincoln Center's mission to bring the world's finest performing arts to New York, has been championing chamber music for over five decades. What began as Lincoln Center's answer to intimate classical music—a counterpoint to the grand orchestral performances at Avery Fisher Hall—has grown into one of the most prestigious chamber music organizations in the world.

The 2026 season opens Wednesday, January 21st at 7:30 PM with Pianist Juho Pohjonen, violinist Kristin Lee, violinist/violist Arnaud Sussmann and Finckel presenting "Beethoven Journey," tracing the composer's evolution through three works revealing his artistic transformation.

Beginning with the Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 12 and the String Trio Op. 9, the evening concludes with the "Archduke" Trio, which CMS describes as Beethoven's "last and greatest example" of how he broadened the possibilities of the piano trio format.

The season continues with Mozart and Dvořák on February 19, then Brahms, Shostakovich, and Schubert on March 25.

Tickets are available individually or as three-concert subscriptions through the Chamber Music Society website here.