About Us

The Series, an independent, non-profit concert producing organization, presents gifted classical chamber musicians from around the world in concert at Cabell Hall Auditorium at the University of Virginia. Designed by Stanford White (of McKim Mead and White) and built in 1898, it is lauded by artists as one of the best venues worldwide for its excellent acoustics and intimate atmosphere. The Series also offers free children’s concerts to schools throughout the region and since 1995 has presented 38 performances for over 44,000 children.

In 1948 the Tuesday Evening Concert Group was formed by Martin B. Hiden with the assistance of Bard Hume of the Washington Post and Richard Bales of the National Gallery of Art.

The first concert, given by The Mozart Trio in a program of arias from “Don Giovanni”, “Le Nozze di Figaro” and “Cosi fan Tutte”, was held on November 30, 1948 to a near-capacity audience. Two candelabra on stage were lit and at the end of the performance extinguished, by a young child, Roland Pittman, who in 1998 appeared as the Series’ special guest at the opening concert of the 50th anniversary season.

Hiden subsequently established a connection with the National Music League and formed The Evening Concert Groups, which collaborated with six other concert organizations in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland in order to form a concert blockbooking network for the purpose of sharing artists’ costs. In 1951 the Board voted to disengage from this affiliation and become The Tuesday Evening Concert Series, incorporating as a non-profit organization in the same year.