Cheltenham Music Society

Who we are

Cheltenham Music Society promotes a winter series of varied chamber music and contemporary concerts.  The artists include some of the finest performers in the world as well as outstanding young musicians. The Society is run by volunteers and is a registered charity.

Our goal today is to offer music of high quality, at a price that is well below the commercial equivalent, in an environment that both performers and audience enjoy. Our concerts are open to everyone. By taking out an annual subscription you make a substantial saving and you thereby become a member of the Society, but non-members are equally welcome at all our events.

The Society is a registered charity ( no. 279209), and is managed by a small group of Trustees elected by members.

The Cheltenham Music Society was founded in 1948 by a small group of enthusiasts led by Tony Gilkes, headmaster of Dean Close School, and the heads of music at the Ladies’ College and Pates Grammar School. 

In its early days its programmes included concerts by members, but it soon developed into the model we have today with an annual series of professional concerts. Since 1973 our home has been the Pittville Pump Room, a venue loved by musicians and audiences alike for its excellent acoustics and elegant ambience.

Over the years the Society has been host to many distinguished chamber musicians, either when they were starting their careers or at the height of their fame. Today our annual series has seven concerts; the string quartet remains the bedrock of our music with at least three concerts, and over the years our concerts have covered a wide range of groups and genres. 

We make a point of providing a platform for young musicians as well as established ones. In addition we offer a separate short series of concerts of contemporary music.