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(Santa Barbara, CA, July 8, 2026) – Camerata Pacifica, an esteemed Santa Barbara-based international chamber music collective, was named 2026 Ensemble of the Year by Chamber Music America, the country’s premier national service organization for small music ensembles in North America. Camerata Pacifica, which just completed its 36th season, garnered the prestigious recognition for its outstanding artistic achievements, innovation, and leadership. The collective is noted for presenting musically adventurous programs in Los Angeles, San Marino, Thousand Oaks, and Santa Barbara, CA.
The award announcement was made by Kevin Kwan Loucks, CEO of Chamber Music America, who states, “We recognize Camerata Pacifica’s remarkable work and its meaningful contribution to the field. Its work stands out as exemplary, as Camerata Pacifica has shaped the careers of musicians and engaged audiences with performances for 36 seasons. The organization’s Nightingale Channel initiative of reaching healthcare facilities with classical music during the pandemic was cited as visionary; that you continue this much needed work is lauded for its limitless audience engagement.”
Camerata Pacifica Founder and Artistic Director Adrian Spence says, “On behalf of everyone associated with Camerata Pacifica, I’m touched and deeply grateful to see our organization named Chamber Music America’s 2026 Ensemble of the Year. Nearly four decades ago we began to build a community with music as the medium of engagement. It is that community — our talented musicians, dedicated staff, exceptional board members, adventurous audiences, and generous supporters — that is truly being recognized today. Camerata Pacifica remains deeply committed to this living, breathing, highly dynamic art form, and we look forward to sharing its limitless beauty and joy for decades to come. Thank you, Chamber Music America.”
Camerata Pacifica has been hailed as “innovative and intrepid” (The Daily Telegraph), “visceral and powerful” (The Economist). Its considerable commissioning portfolio includes more than 20 works by such established and rising composers as David Bruce, John Harbison, Jake Heggie, Huang Ruo, Lera Auerbach, Bright Sheng, Ian Wilson, Libby Larsen, and John Luther Adams. Two new commissions for the ensemble are currently in process from Howard Frazin and Niloufar Nourbakhsh.
The chamber collective has also been lauded for its warm and engaging rapport with audiences, bringing context and immediacy to the music it performs. The ensemble enjoys a busy performance schedule throughout Southern California. Camerata Pacifica’s flagship annual series showcases its exceptional principal artists as well as a range of distinguished guest artists. Each program is structured as a week-long residency with the ensemble performing in four Southern California locales: The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Colburn School’s Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles;Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks; and Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West.
The chamber ensemble has previously toured to Hong Kong and appeared at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., Morgan Library & Museum in New York City, and major concert halls in London, Dublin and Belfast.
Camerata Pacifica was founded by Artistic Director Adrian Spence, an acclaimed “high-flying flautist” (The Irish Times) applauded for his “unstoppable energy, his organizational genius, his taste in music and musicians” (Noozhawk). A native of Northern Ireland, Spence’s keen artistic sensibilities are evident in every aspect of Camerata Pacifica, from the ensemble’s stellar roster of international chamber artists and thoughtfully curated musical offerings to its authentic connection with audiences. He also sets the tone for the deep comradery among the collective’s musicians, which is evident both on and off stage.
In addition to its busy performance schedule, Camerata Pacifica is committed to serving the community. In 2021, Camerata Pacifica, in collaboration with UCLA Health, developed The Nightingale Channel, a landmark resource for hospitals providing programming drawn from the ensemble’s extensive video library of its performances delivered to personal devices benefiting patients and caregivers campus-wise, including patient bedsides, infusion centers, and waiting areas. Based on the well-documented positive effects of music in healing, The Nightingale Channel has been adopted by UCLA Health, UC Davis Health, Keck Medicine at USC, Loma Linda University Medical Center, City of Hope National Medical Center, and Augusta University Health, and is being introduced to other hospitals across the country.
Chamber Music America (CMA) was founded more than forty years ago by a small group of musicians determined to create a more sustainable chamber music field. In the years since, the organization has grown dramatically, expanding both its offerings and its membership to be more inclusive, wide-reaching, welcoming, and equitable. The organization’s membership spans a wide range musical genres, styles, traditions, and professions, all united by a shared belief in the unique power and cultural value of small ensemble music. Since its founding, CMA has worked non-stop to develop, strengthen, and advocate for this increasingly diverse constituency by expanding funding opportunities for the field; offering community-building events and conferences; providing extensive professional development resources; and introducing the music of its members to new audiences.
For information on Camerata Pacifica, visit http://www.cameratapacifica.org.
