The mission of the Sheldon Friends of Chamber Music (SFCM) is to serve as a chamber-music buying cooperative for its members. (Members are defined in the SFCM by-laws as season ticket holders.) As a public presenter of chamber music concerts, pre-concert lectures, and master classes, SFCM endeavors to introduce more and more of the public to the joys of hearing chamber music in live performance.

SFCM presents four to five chamber concerts per year in the Auditorium of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. These events regularly feature ensembles of 3 to 8 members from outside the southeast Nebraska area; groups from Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Europe perform on the series frequently. We are proud to offer ensembles of consistently high quality and superior musicality. With respect to repertoire, SFCM is committed to the presentation of new works by living composers, in addition to the standard repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries. Early music groups are also represented on our series from time to time, as well as "non-traditional" ensembles such as guitar quartets, cabaret performers, and the like. For a detailed look at past concerts and fun facts, consult our "First Forty Years" publication (Adobe Acrobat required).

In the area of outreach, SFCM offers discussions of upcoming concerts and the music to be performed on the "Live from the Mill" series on the Nebraska Public Radio Network. We also provide pre-concert lectures about the music to be performed, and master classes with the artists for students at both the high school and college level. Since the concerts are held at the Sheldon Art Gallery on the UN-L campus, SFCM makes a special effort to reach out to students, offering individual tickets priced at a sizeable discount. We also visit all of the high school and middle schools in the Lincoln area to present Outstanding Ensemble Player Awards; student recipients receive a certificate of recognition and complimentary tickets.

The SFCM organization consists of a Board of Directors, 10-15 volunteers who share in the work of selecting performers, producing the program and publicity for each concert, providing transportation, giving pre-concert lectures, assisting at post-concert receptions, managing budgets-in short, all of the day-to-day operations of an arts organization. The board consists of Gunter Hofmann (president),Dorothy Chung Javorsky (vice-president and chair of artist selection committee), William Gustafson (treasurer), Tony Bushard (secretary), Morrie Tuttle (ticket manager), Kasia Bradley, Sharon Kennedy, Marilyn Hammond, Betty Levitov, Carole Goebes, Jean Henderson, and Judy Amber. Our directors are committed to the future of the Sheldon Friends of Chamber Music and we hope to see you at future our concerts!

Help us continue our rich heritage by purchasing a Season Ticket or becoming a member of Friends+.