The Belvedere Series is a jewel still somewhat hidden in the treasures of the local music scene. It realizes the vision of pianist Ingrid Keller, drawing together virtuosos both local and international in polished programs of smaller scale compositions both venerable and modern.

The “chamber” in chamber music is a tell. Music evolves to fill the spaces in which it is performed. Orchestral music fits a concert hall the way punk’s liberating chaos fits a ramshackle bar or Taylor Swift’s choreographed-to-the-second spectacle fits a sports stadium. Small-scale, classical compositions were often performed in intimate spaces, often debuting in the great spaces of the castles and manors of patrons before making their way via sheet music to private houses and amateur enthusiasts.

Keller and her husband bought the historic Marburg house near the Carillon because it had a spacious living room that would hold chamber performances. There is a grand piano and a huge mirror that makes the space seem half as large again. The Belvedere Series started there and has expanded to St. Christopher’s School and its still relatively new recital hall, The Louis F. Ryan Recital Hall and Arts Center.

“Our season opener is on Sept. 21 in Ryan Recital Hall,” Keller says. “It is really beautiful, with wonderful acoustics for chamber music. But it is a little big; [it’s] pulling off a miracle if you can get 250 people to a chamber music concert. So we have put together a great program of crowd pleasers: Mozart, Tchaikovsky along with a string sextet.” Titled “Creative Voyages,” the concert’s unifying theme is geography.

It opens with Mozart’s “Piano Quartet in E flat major.” “Because he was composing in Vienna, where there is an influence of Turkish culture, Mozart always sprinkled some Turkish elements into his music,” Keller notes.

Next is a cello sonata, “Four Cities,” by living Turkish composer Fazil Say. “I thought it would be an interesting back-to-back contextualization of those two composers. It concludes with Tchaikovsky’s string quartet, “Souvenir de Florence.” “It is a real crowd pleaser,” Keller says. “If you know this piece, you already love it. If you haven’t ever heard it before, you will love it.”

The next Belvedere Series event,  “An Evening in Spain: Cassadó, Celladora Wines, and Chef Olivia Wilson,” takes place on Oct. 2 at Marburg House. The program, focusing on the often-neglected work of Gaspar Cassadó, features his “String Quartet No. 3 in C minor.” The cellist for that event is Katie Tertell, who has been a major advocate for the late Catalan composer. There will also be natural wines and artisanal snacks from local wine shop/cafe Celladora.

“The Divine Feminine,” the theme for two Marburg House concerts on Oct. 18 and 19, is a concert devoted entirely to female performers and female composers. The five pieces include a cello solo by a Hawaiian composer, a piano trio, and a new piece commissioned from Russian composer Polina Nazaykinskaya. “She writes cinematically,” Keller says. “It is really beautiful, and there is a lot of storytelling. I am excited for other people to hear it.” Nazaykinskaya will be at the events, giving a pre-concert talk.

“Modal Reflections,” the last event of 2025, and the end of the first half of the Belvedere Series, features folk-based works. There is a duo from Kodály, a trio from Vaughan Williams featuring Jamaican American violist Jordan Bak, and a piano quartet from Dvořák.

There is a formula to the programming, one dedicated to keeping alive a centuries-old tradition with fresh new exemplars. “What I try to do, more often than not, is pair new music with known music,” says Keller. “We all have our idea of what classical music sounds like. It is interesting how new music, from living composers, comes out of that context.”

This series, an intelligent, ambitious labor of love, is at an inflection point. The Marburg House shows tend to sell out quickly for the evening performances, slower for Sunday matinees. The St. Christopher’s School shows still have space. (Note: Students can get in free with the code “STUDENTTIX”).

In many ways, these smaller compositions can be both more approachable and go much more deeply into sonorous expression on a human scale. It is a musical pocket universe well worth exploring.

Series pricing

“Creative Voyages ” onSept. 21, 3 p.m. at Louis F. Ryan Recital Hall, St. Christopher’s – $39.19 [includes online fees]

“An Evening in Spain” on Oct. 2, 7 p.m. at Marburg House

“The Divine Feminine” on Oct. 18, 7 p.m. at Marburg House – $55.20 [includes online fees] and Oct. 19, 3:30 p.m. at Marburg House – $55.20 [includes online fees]

“Modal Reflections” on Nov. 8, 7 p.m. at Marburg House – $55.20 and on Nov. 9, 3:30 p.m. at Marburg House – $55.20

There is a package deal for three Grand Concerts, including “Creative Voyages” and two performances in 2026 for $108.55 [$100, plus online fees]