Chamber Orchestra of Barrington, RI announces Tenth Anniversary Season

Rhode Island’s Chamber Orchestra of Barrington at St. John’s Celebrates 10th Anniversary Season with International Guest Artists, World Premieres, and Masterworks

The Chamber Orchestra of Barrington at St. John’s (COBSJ), one of New England’s leading volunteer chamber orchestras, will celebrate its 10th anniversary season with internationally acclaimed guest artists, two world premieres, and a thoughtfully curated program honoring a decade of artistic excellence and community engagement.

Now in his second season as Music Director, Luis Viquez has shaped the 2026–27 season around the theme "Music That Inspires Us: Ten Years of COBSJ," reflecting the orchestra’s artistic journey while embracing new voices alongside enduring masterworks.

The 36-member volunteer ensemble performs at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Barrington, Rhode Island. All concerts are presented free of charge, with voluntary contributions welcomed at the door.

The anniversary season opens on August 30 with an intimate Afternoon of Chamber Music, featuring performances by small ensembles drawn from the orchestra’s membership. The season concludes on June 6, 2027, with a companion chamber music program.

The four orchestral concerts include:

A Decade in Harmony — October 4, 2026

The orchestra’s official 10th anniversary celebration will feature distinguished guest artists Alla Aranovskaya, violin, and Boris Vayner, viola, both of the internationally renowned St. Petersburg String Quartet, joined by Rhode Island Philharmonic violinist Alexey Shabalin. The program also includes the world premiere of a new work by COBSJ cellist Kari Juusela, alongside masterpieces by Copland, Bach, and Mozart.

Landscapes of Light and Sound — November 15, 2026

This program pairs a work by the late Rhode Island composer Richard Cumming with music by acclaimed Salvadoran composer Juan Guerra, culminating in Sibelius’s Symphony No. 3, a landmark of the orchestral repertoire.

With Music... With Love — February 4, 2027

Rhode Island native and acclaimed clarinetist Peter Bianca joins the orchestra as soloist in a program featuring the world premiere of Ben Stevenson’s Huron Suite, together with works by Rossini and Schubert.

Symphonic Majesty: Power and Grace — April 11, 2027

The season’s final orchestral program presents the New England premiere of Breath by Deanna Wehrspann, followed by Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, one of the great symphonic achievements of the Romantic era.

As it enters its second decade, COBSJ continues its mission of presenting high-caliber orchestral performances while championing living composers, collaborating with distinguished guest artists, and making exceptional classical music accessible to audiences throughout Rhode Island.

To support the Chamber Orchestra of Barrington at St. John’s, visit www.cobsj.org/donate.

For additional information, visit www.cobsj.org.