Chamber Music America (CMA) has announced that it has received the single largest gift by an individual in the history of the organization. The Scottish-American composer Thea Musgrave has donated $250,000 towards the establishment of the Thea Musgrave Performance Fund.
Intended to support the performance of Musgrave’s works, the fund will make up to ten awards of between $1,000 and $5,000 to ensembles that include at least one work of Musgrave’s on a concert program. To qualify, each project must also include an audience engagement component, such as a pre-concert talk or panel session, that engages with Musgrave’s biography, influences, or cultural contexts.
The funding can be used to pay for these audience engagement activities, as well as rehearsal/performance costs and recording costs.
Applications for the prize fund will open in February 2026 and will be reviewed by an independent panel of chamber music professionals. CMA expects to announce the results in July 2026, and the selected ensembles will have the opportunity to perform at CMA’s National Conference, which will take place in Chicago in August 2026.
One of the most prominent composers of the last 100 years, Thea Musgrave studied with Nadia Boulanger and began her career in London before moving to America in 1971. Works such as the Clarinet Concerto, Concerto for Orchestra, and Turbulent Landscapes have won wide acclaim, and she frequently writes for electronic media as well as for chorus and wind and brass ensembles.
“Chamber Music America is honored to receive this generous endowment from Thea Musgrave, a defining figure of contemporary classical music, whose work is ripe for rediscovery and fresh appreciation by a new generation of musicians and audiences,” said Kevin Kwan Loucks, CEO of CMA. “We look forward to serving as careful and dedicated stewards of her chamber music catalog so that its beauty and innovation may continue to resonate.”
“I am grateful for what I know will be the thoughtful stewardship of my chamber music works and for the opportunity to entrust this responsibility to Chamber Music America,” Musgrave said. “CMA’s longstanding success in the custodianship of major funds and the administration of their respective grant programs gives me confidence in the organization’s ability to honor my music and musical intentions with care and integrity. This partnership allows me to continue creating new work while ensuring a lasting legacy for the works I have produced over the years.”