The Society was formed in 1984 by Irwin Imhof, Nils Korner and Judy Mitchell, who believed that there must be a large number of musicians who wanted to play chamber music, but who never had their wishes realised because they did not know how to go about contacting other musicians. From this small beginning, the Society has now grown to a membership of about 300 musicians, spawning similar societies in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Our patron is Rachel Valler OAM.
ACMS aims to promote the amateur playing of chamber music. We want to give members the opportunity to meet other players and to play chamber music at whatever level suits them - for their enjoyment, their greater appreciation of music, the improvement of their playing and the formation of musical friendships. The Society is non-profit.
The majority of members concentrate on the classical repertoire, but the choice of music is made entirely by the players forming an ensemble. The majority of their activities involve ensembles of from two to eight players and covers keyboard, string and wind instruments, and voice.
Our members have varying backgrounds. Some play in community orchestras or bands; some have returned to their instrument after a break due to life commitments; some have played at a high standard for many years.
Self-Grading is an assessment of your playing ability and experience. While it's tempting to see it as a status symbol, it should not be.
It is used:
So it is important that you assess yourself honestly. Being either too generous or too modest in your assessment will mean that you may be grouped inappropriately, leading to disappointment all round. You can re-assess your self-grading at any time as your circumstances change.
Not necessarily, but you should be familiar with works of that standard. The works listed are examples only, but are regarded by many musicians as core chamber music repertoire.
Level | Description |
P | Professional. You are better than grade "1". You perform professionally. |
1 | You are able to play fairly almost anything. |
2 | You are very comfortable with the standard chamber music repertoire, though you like to practise before attempting difficult pieces. |
3 | You are able to play many standard works, though you avoid the more difficult ones. |
4 | You have some experience playing chamber music, and are starting to explore the standard chamber music repertoire. |
5 | You are a beginner, with little or no experience playing chamber music. |