Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival Announces 26th Season, Featuring Audra McDonald, Joshua Bell, and the Dover Quartet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact: Robyn Lamp, Executive Director Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival (904) 261-1779 | r.lamp@aicmf.org | aicmf.org 

Press Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rhdGrBGI6FewGxIiSytPMSyKyq-Ba32i?usp=sharing 

26th Season Brochure: https://aicmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Amelia-Island-Chamber-Music-Festival-2026_2027-26th-Season-Brochure.pdf 

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival Announces 26th Season, Featuring Audra McDonald, Joshua Bell, and the Dover Quartet 

[Fernandina Beach, FL – September 14, 2026] — The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival (“Festival”) today announced its 26th season, running December 2026 through June 2027, with a lineup that brings six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, GRAMMY-winning violinist Joshua Bell, and the internationally acclaimed Dover Quartet to Nassau County stages, alongside bluegrass powerhouse Balsam Range and returning favorites in classical, jazz, and genre-crossing programming. 

Now entering its second quarter-century, the Festival continues its founding approach: presenting world-class musicians not in concert halls, but in Amelia Island's churches, chapels, breweries, and historic sites, where audiences experience performances at close range. 

"We are so thrilled to be bringing some of the best talent in the world to Amelia Island for our audiences, but I feel, more importantly, we are expanding access to great music for our community with our free community programming. There's something else that makes the Festival special: our intimate venues, where audiences of 350 or fewer are close enough to truly feel connected to the music and the artists. Time after time, our artists tell us how much they love Amelia Island and our audiences, and how much they want to return. Something special happens at Festival concerts: there’s an energy in the room that moves us all," said Robyn Lamp, Executive Director of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. 

Season Highlights 

Sounds of the Season featuring Nicole Zuraitis — Dec. 16, 2026, Outdoor Courtyard at the Ritz-Carlton. Two-time GRAMMY winner Zuraitis brings her quartet for an outdoor holiday jazz concert. 

An Evening with Audra McDonald — Feb. 23, 2027, Amelia River Club. The most Tony-decorated performer in history, in an intimate evening of song. 

Dover Quartet — Feb. 19, 2027, Amelia Plantation Chapel. A return engagement from the ensemble once the Festival's quartet-in-residence, now among the most sought-after in the world. 

Johannes Moser & Marc-André Hamelin — March 2, 2027, Amelia Plantation Chapel. A Beethoven cello sonata cycle marking 200 years since the composer's death. 

Balsam Range — March 14, 2027, Ritz-Carlton. Two-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year, bringing award-winning bluegrass to Amelia Island. 

Voice and the Violin: Joshua Bell & Larisa Martínez — April 23, 2027, Amelia Plantation Chapel. GRAMMY-winning violinist Bell joins soprano Martínez and pianist Peter Dugan. 

Beethoven & Beer featuring American String Quartet — June 9, 2027, Mocama Beer Company. A casual, one-hour Beethoven program in a brewery setting.  

The full schedule, including additional performances by Anderson & Roe, The Concert Truck, Curtis on Tour, Festival Finale, and the Marasco Young Artists' Concert, is available at aicmf.org. 

Community Programming 

Education and engagement with our community remain central to the Festival's mission, including the Christopher Rex String Seminar, the Marasco Young Artists' Concert, in-school performances throughout Nassau County, public masterclasses with visiting artists, the Concert Truck's free outdoor performances, and a new Music and Mindfulness Initiative launched with Baptist Health.  

Tickets 

This season, the Festival introduces a $20 rush ticket policy, offering available seats at a reduced rate shortly before each performance. Student tickets remain available at $15.  

Tickets for all performances are available on Tuesday, September 15 at aicmf.org. Season brochures detailing the full 2026–2027 schedule are available by request from the Festival office. 

About the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival 

Founded in 2001 by Christopher Rex, then principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival has grown into a nationally recognized festival known for presenting world-class musicians in intimate, non-traditional venues throughout Amelia Island and Northeast Florida. Just a few past performers include Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Hilary Hahn, Renée Fleming, and Wynton Marsalis. The Festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.