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CMS Board of Directors
Peter Thorp, President
Victoria Davis, 1st Vice President
James Neiman, 2nd V.P. and Secretary
Erik Dyar
Lisa Prochazka
Barbara Ruzicka
Staff
John Bauer – Piano Technician
Elizabeth Bates - Accountant
Advisors and Consultants
Lyn Bronson
Renée Bronson
Our concerts are presented in Carmel's Sunset Center for the Arts, just two blocks from Ocean Avenue. Completely reconstructed in 2002-03, the 700-seat auditorium is ideal for all types of music. It is the home of Carmel Music Society, the Monterey Symphony, the Carmel Bach Festival, and Chamber Music Monterey Bay, as well as Sunset's own vibrant performing arts series. There is convenient parking, and it's close to shopping and restaurants.
The Story of
Carmel Music Society
Since 1927 Carmel Music Society has presented more than 600 major artists and ensembles from around the world.
Please take a moment to view our entire 97-year concert history here.
The CMS story begins in the early 1920s. Dene Denny and Hazel Watrous had recently moved to Carmel and established themselves as architects and decorators. To enhance the cultural life of the Monterey Peninsula they created a concert series.
At that time in Carmel, local amateurs and professionals gave occasional classical music concerts in small private and public venues. Less frequently there were concerts by touring professionals, often sponsored by metropolitan booking agents and underwritten by wealthy patrons. Although several local groups had tried, no one yet had established a concert series of dependable schedule, venue, or artistry.
Dene and Hazel experimented by booking a few of their own concerts and events in 1925 and 1926 in their home on North Dolores Street, and also in Carmel's original Golden Bough Theatre on the southeast corner of Ocean Avenue and Monte Verde. By producing these early events, the two visionary women laid the path for a rich tradition of classical music in Carmel.
Their initial concerts were so successful that in the fall of 1927 Hazel and Dene helped organize a group of local music lovers to establish Carmel Music Society — a non-profit organization devoted to bringing the finest talent in the classical music world to Carmel.
Incorporated in 1927, Carmel Music Society is the oldest non-profit arts organization in California.
In 1935, Carmel Music Society co-sponsored the establishment of the Carmel Bach Festival.
View our 97-Season performance history here.
Join our mailing list or send us a message here.
In 2014, musician/author (and CMS webmaster) David Gordon published Carmel Impresarios, the definitive biography of the colorful Denny-Watrous partnership. The 400-page book covers a century of history and includes a detailed chronicle of the founding of Carmel Music Society and the Carmel Bach Festival. There are nearly 300 vintage illustrations and extensive reference material. Follow this link for more information.
The page background displays the names of the more than 600 artists and ensembles presented by CMS since 1927. Click here to see a detailed list.
