Arizona Friends of Chamber Music has a long tradition of educational and outreach activities. Our master classes, youth concert, and ticket programs provide students from throughout Tucson and Southern Arizona an opportunity to experience the world's finest chamber music.

Master classes. Musicians who perform in our Piano and Friends series give free master classes to students of the TJS and TMTA. Performers at the Chamber Music Festival give free master classes to U of A music students. This enables us to support both the 21st century's finest young performers and Tucson’s dedicated music students. The master classes are also free to the audience.

Free youth concert. During our weeklong Winter Chamber Music Festival we provide a free concert for students from grade school through high school. Working closely with OMA (Opening Minds through the Arts), we give priority to schools that rarely get this kind of opportunity, including schools with a high proportion of disadvantaged students. 600 kids pack the concert hall, some traveling from more than an hour away. For many, this is their only opportunity to see music performed live. They hear and interact with the same world-class musicians who play for the festival. Such close-up exposure to extremely talented and mostly young musicians is particularly worthwhile for this young audience.

Discounted student tickets (less than half the regular price) are available for every AFCM concert. We also provide 10 free tickets for each concert to students from four local high schools and student-price tickets for two accompanying adults.

AFCM also has one of the nation's most active commissioning programs, and invites the composer for the premiere of their new work. This is quite unique in the country and introduces young audience members to the excitement of hearing brand new pieces and seeing a modern composer. We make a point of including contemporary works in all our concerts.

Helena Baillie and a musician from the Tucson Junior Strings

Schools and organizations benefiting from AFCM activities

• Pueblo High School
• Tucson High School
• Cholla High School
• Ha:San, the Tohono'Odham Middle/High school in Tucson
• Pascua Yaqui Nation (with Cholla High School)
• Tucson Junior Strings (TJS)
• Tucson Music Teachers Association (TMTA)
• UA School of Music