Monarch Chamber Players

Monarch Chamber Players is a collective of Houston-based professional musicians committed to taking classical chamber music out of the concert hall and into accessible community spaces. Founded in October 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monarch presents 50-80 concerts annually and has brought classical music to over 25 Houston neighborhoods, performing at a variety of venues including parks, churches, farms, gas stations, traditional indoor venues, and front porches. Monarch offers a flexible configuration from the core roster of winds, strings, harp, and percussion. Available ensembles include wind quintet, string trio, harp trio, woodwind trio, and various other unique ensembles ranging from 2-15 musicians. Monarch has been featured on many traditional concert series, including the Cypress Creek FACE Promenade Series, the Houston Methodist Center for the Performing Arts Crain Garden Series, and the Bayou City Art Festival. Monarch offers both traditional classical and seasonal holiday performances. Holiday performances include "Neighborhood Nutcracker," an original production of Tchaikovsky's score arranged for wind quintet and percussion accompanied by a video projection of the ballet, as well as special programs for Halloween, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women's History Month, Memorial Day, and more. Photo by Allison Asthana.