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Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Chamberfest announces its 2026 Summer Festival, running July 23 to August 2, featuring a wide-ranging program of international and Canadian artists, bold new music, major chamber collaborations, and free community events across 11 days in the Nation’s Capital. Set against Ottawa’s bicentennial year, the 2026 edition reflects a city celebrating 200 years of history, growth, and cultural expression.
At its core, the festival invites audiences to step away from the everyday and experience music as it happens: live, shared, and authentic.
Chamberfest’s wide-ranging lineup of international and Canadian artists presents programs that span from baroque opera and large-scale collaborations to intimate recitals, genre-crossing performances, and free community events. Events are curated within Chamberfest’s Signature Series, Marina Kun Series, Chamberfringe, New Music Now, and more.
“In a world that rarely pauses, live music asks us to listen,” says Artistic Director Carissa Klopoushak. “At Chamberfest 2026, internationally renowned artists and emerging voices from across Canada and around the globe come together in a festival that is expansive, forward-thinking, and alive, balancing cherished traditions with bold new perspectives. We look forward to welcoming you to venues across the city for a festival grounded in presence, discovery, and the shared experience of live music.”
The festival opens with a semi-staged presentation of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, created in collaboration with Toronto’s Opera Atelier and featuring a cast that includes Measha Brueggergosman-Lee. The festival’s rich mix of programming includes the Ottawa debut of the Poiesis String Quartet (winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition), the North American debut of Ukraine’s celebrated festival Odessa Classics, which brings Ukrainian artists to Ottawa in a powerful statement of cultural resilience, and the Ottawa debut of Council, the indie-classical project of violinist Pekka Kuusisto and singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane.
The festival also highlights major Canadian artists, including pianist Jon Kimura Parker in a wide-ranging solo recital from Mozart to Oscar Peterson, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Gryphon Trio, and pianists Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung in a two-piano tour de force anchored by The Rite of Spring, as well as a celebration of composer John Estacio’s 60th birthday. Ottawa’s Ironwood Quartet are featured in multiple festival performances, including with Honens Gold Laureate Élisabeth Pion and in / finite, a concert which explores the meditative music of Arvo Pärt in dialogue with Schubert’s famous “Death and the Maiden” Quartet.
New to Chamberfest 2026, the Chamberfest Camerata is a conductorless ensemble of leading chamber players created to explore both favourite and boundary-pushing works for strings. At the heart of its debut programme is Beethoven’s Op. 95 String Quartet in a striking version for chamber orchestra.
New Music Now returns with programs of contemporary works from emerging composers to boundary-pushing ensembles, including four world premieres. Our popular Chamberfringe series is back at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, pushing the boundaries of chamber music with late-night cross-genre performances including JUNO Award-winning collectif9 with Ronny Desinor, Tamar Ilana & Ventanas, Angelique Francis, Persian virtuoso Amir Amiri, a complete performance of Elvis Costello’s The Juliet Letters, and Daughters of Donbas, a music and human rights project led by Ukrainian-Canadian artist Marichka.
Additional information on free community programming will be available to view on the Chamberfest website on Tuesday, May 12. This includes popular Yoga + Cello, Bring the Kids! concerts, Adaptive Concerts, Masterclasses, Chamber Chats, pop-up events at The Record Centre and the NAC, and outdoor performances at Rideau Hall.
New in 2026: A full day of FREE community celebration at Head Street Square (Zibi) includes Yoga + Cello, Bring the Kids!, pop-up performances with True North Brass and Raphael Weinrothe-Browne. The day culminates in a mass performance of Terry Riley’s In C – a community-led collective music-making experience.
For full programming details and ticket information, visit www.chamberfest.com.
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