About Chamber Music Wilmington

Mission Driven

​Chamber Music Wilmington creates dynamic classical performance experiences that enrich and engage audiences of the Cape Fear Region. We promote enthusiasm for chamber music by providing exceptional concerts featuring world-class musicians, and presenting inspiring programming and outreach in a variety of settings through our partnerships with the New Hanover County Schools Arts Education Department, Brooklyn Arts Music Academy, WHQR Public Media, St. James Parish, and others.

Our main concert series takes place on Sunday afternoons at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Beckwith Recital Hall. Thanks to the support from the North Carolina Arts Council GAP-ARPA’s Stronger Together initiative, in 2024 Chamber Music Wilmington conducted the strategic planning process that began with a stakeholder planning session with 25 area representatives from our community, including school leaders, church leaders, non-profit leaders, arts organization leaders, musicians and current and past board members. This strategic planning guides our current growth.

Ivalas Quartet at Holly Shelter Middle School

Established in 1995

Our History

Chamber Music Wilmington (formerly Chamber Music Society of Wilmington) was created in 1995 by pianist Barbara McKenzie, Artistic Director, and oboist, Petrea Warneck. Since its founding, Chamber Music Wilmington has organized and implemented consecutive seasons of chamber music concerts of the highest quality. During the pandemic, we engaged our audience through hybrid and online programs.

Curtis on Tour at Chamber Music Wilmington
Oskar Espina Ruiz

Artistic Director

Oskar Espina Ruiz

Oskar Espina Ruiz is Chamber Music Wilmington’s artistic director since 2020, while he maintains a busy concert career and continues to mentor future generations of young artists as associate professor of clarinet at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Oskar Espina Ruiz has been praised for his “masterful virtuosity” (El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico), “rhapsodic ease” and “generous, tender warmth” (The Millbrook Independent). He has performed at major concert halls and festivals to high critical acclaim, including recitals in New York City, Washington DC, Moscow, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. He has appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg State Academic Symphony (Russia), St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic (Russia), Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra (Puerto Rico), Orquesta Sinfónica de la Ciudad de Asunción (Paraguay) and Bilbao Symphony (Spain).

Oskar Espina Ruiz devotes much of his time to musical research. His work on Spanish Post-Romantic composer Julián Menéndez brought him the first prize of the International Clarinet Association Research Competition, and led to his later writing an article for The Clarinet magazine, and also to the acquisition of one of Menéndez’s clarinets by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its Musical Instruments Galleries —currently on display at its permanent collection, including a photo and biography of Menéndez next to Benny Goodman’s.

Oskar Espina Ruiz holds an MFA from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, and a DMA from Stony Brook University, where his major teachers were Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima.

Our Founding artistic director

Barbara McKenzie

Barbara McKenzie is an internationally recognized pianist, who as co-founder served CMW as its Artist in Residence and Artistic Director for 22 years. Prior to moving to Wilmington, her international career took her into music festivals and concert halls around the world and she has received many honors and awards including Gold Medal and First Prize in the International Chamber Music Competition, Paris. She toured Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East as a musical ambassador for the US State Department and in that capacity made debuts and led masterclasses in Saint Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. In addition to having served as Artistic Director for Chamber Music Wilmington, she also served as Artistic Director of the American Music Festival in Beaufort, NC, which she co-founded.

Barbara McKenzie

Meet Our Team

Board of Directors

Beverley Dean, President

Beverley Dean

President

Beverley and her husband, Philippe Vandatte, moved to Wilmington Dec. 2011 from San Diego, CA and discovered CMW a few months later. Beverley retired as Director of Employment from the San Diego Community College District and served on the boards of LEAD, San Diego; Society of Human Resource Management; St. James Episcopal Church, La Jolla; and on committees of the Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla; the Museum of Art, Balboa Park; and OLLI Adult Scholars program at UNCW. She completed the last year of her bachelor’s degree at the Florence, Italy campus of California State University and holds a Master’s of Education. She is a lover of a wide range of music and appreciates the variety and level of classical and jazz that’s so available in Wilmington.
Bob Cantwell, Treasurer

Bob Cantwell

Treasurer

Bob is a native of Wilmington, and a 1964 graduate of the Citadel with a degree in Civil Engineering. After military service, he joined his family business of commercial real estate appraising, working with his father and later with his wife of 56 years, Mary, until they retired 12 years ago. He lived at Wrightsville Beach for over 40 years, moving to the Masonboro Sound area 15 years ago. He was active in professional associations, including service on the national governing council of the Appraisal Institute. He also chaired the North Carolina Real Estate Appraisal Board. Since retirement, his volunteer service has included continuing participation in the New Hanover County Guardian Ad Litem program. He is also a docent at the Wrightsville Beach Museum. Although not a musician, he has always enjoyed chamber music as it has a feeling of intimacy and allows the audience to discern the contribution of the individual performers. He and Mary have been attending CMW concerts since they were held upstairs in City Hall.
Maria Montanaro

Maria Montanaro

SECRETARY

Maria Montanaro is a retired health care professional with over 24 years of senior executive management experience. She most recently served in the RI Governor’s cabinet, overseeing the department of Behavioral Health, Hospitals and Developmental Disabilities. She dedicated her career to serving the medically underserved, most notably as the Chief Executive Officer of Thundermist Health Center for 14 years as well as serving in chief executive positions of two Medicaid Managed Care plans. Maria holds an M.S.W. from the University of Illinois in health policy and a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts. Maria has served on numerous non-profit boards, including Festival Ballet of RI and the Jamestown (RI) Arts Center. A lifelong musician, she currently sings in the choir at First Presbyterian Church of Wilmington and has studied the cello. She and her husband of 39 years have three adult sons and two grandchildren. They make their home in Jamestown, RI and Wilmington, NC.

Sharon Stone

Board member

Sharon relocated to Wilmington from Minneapolis in 1997. She retired from Land O’Lakes where she was Director of Systems Development. Since then, she has worked for many local nonprofits, sometimes as a volunteer and often as a board member. One of the happy surprises she experienced was when she found Chamber Music Wilmington.

She served initially as CMW’s Executive Director, working alongside Barbara McKenzie, Artistic Director, when they held their concerts in Wilmington’s City Hall, and then, later, Sharon joined the board. Now she’s back on board for a third time.

bill Milholland

Board member

Bill first moved to Wilmington in 1968 when his dad became pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran downtown. There he met his wife, Susan (a genuine Wilmington native). They graduated from JT Hoggard in 1972.

Bill left for Lenoir Rhyne College a couple of years later, and he and Susan were married in 1976. They lived in various places before moving back to the Port City in 2010. Bill retired as pastor of the Lutheran Church of Reconciliation in 2021, after serving parishes in NC and SC for 35 years.

He is currently serving as a priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal/Lutheran Parish in Burgaw, NC.

Bill loves to play golf (not a golfer, but he loves to play), the beach, good music, good food, and good friends. He volunteers for a couple of community services and is excited to be a part of the Chamber Music Wilmington Board.

Shai Abisch

Board member

Shai Abisch spent his first 11 years in Romania, living in a small two-room house with no indoor plumbing. He later moved to Israel with his parents and sisters, where he quickly embraced his identity as an Israeli.

Shai attended an Orthodox agricultural high school, which deepened his understanding of the religion that has influenced his thinking and daily life. After serving for three years in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), he moved to the United States in 1972 and has been living there ever since. He graduated from Baruch College with a degree in accounting and has worked in various fields, including banking, hotels, and primarily in food service.

His career in food service allowed him to travel and live in many parts of the United States while honing his cooking and organizational skills. Shai and his wife, Ellen, have raised their three children in New York, Tennessee, and North Carolina. In each location, he has joined local temples, actively participating in the Jewish community.

As a member of the Temple of Israel, Shai teaches in the religious school, serves on the board of directors, and has been a key leader of the successful fundraiser known as the Big NOSH. His knowledge of Judaism and Hebrew has made him a valuable asset to his religious community.

Eric Beuerman

Board member

Eric moved to North Carolina when he retired from the Army National Guard, in which he served for over 30 years (20 years full-time in Wisconsin). Eric is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, where he taught English in a rural school in Montenegro.

He grew up in a musical family, playing a variety of instruments before focusing on piano, earning a BA, an MA, and a Doctor of Musical Arts. He currently sings in a local church choir. In retirement, he completed a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from UNCW and is now a substitute teacher.

He is happy to make his home here, along with other family members who reside in the Wilmington area.

Mark Hellmann

Mark Hellmann

Board Member

All during his childhood years in Pittsburgh, Mark was inspired and invested in music. He began piano lessons at age 5, participated in many musical opportunities during school, and obtained a music degree in organ from Wheaton College. Then another passion grabbed his heart and Mark went to seminary and became a Lutheran pastor for 35 years, serving churches in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Minneapolis, MN. Mark and his wife, Jeannie, are blessed with five children and six grandchildren. They retired and relocated to Wilmington in 2017. Currently, Mark serves as Director of Music at a local church, playing organ and directing three vocal and handbell choirs. His hobbies include gardening, running … and gardening. Mark enjoys investing more of his time and energy in the world of music again, and he is honored to serve on the board of Chamber Music Wilmington.

Davis byrd

Board Member

Davis

Scott Armstrong, Secretary

Scott Armstrong

BOARD MEMBER

After retiring in 2015 and moving from California to be with family, Scott is currently doing consulting as The Restaurant Wizard in the greater Wilmington area. A Harvard MBA in Finance and Strategic Planning, Scott has had 35 years of experience in the restaurant industry at the Director of Planning level or above. He has been a classical music fan since his Uncle introduced him to classical music records as a teenager. While living in Boston, Manhattan and Los Angeles over the years he and his wife have experienced wonderful music at wonderful venues, but they have been impressed and excited to find the quality and variety of music available in this community. Being 15 minutes from almost anywhere, versus hours of commuting round trip to events in the major metropolitan areas, they have been getting to one or two music events per month versus four or five per year. When you throw in all of the other types of entertainment this is almost heaven.

Honorary Advisory Committee

Pat Marriott
The late Bob Sherman and Lucy Sherman

STAFF MEMBERS

tiff greene

operations director

Tiff is an Appalachian State University graduate with a background tailored to the non-profit sector, focusing on advertising, marketing, and operations. Developed roots here in 2013 and became a house owner in Wilmington in 2020. Dedicated to serving the Cape Fear region, Tiff has organized impactful fundraisers and community initiatives for local organizations, including United Way, Plastic Ocean Project, Happy & Sunshine Pig Sanctuary and Rescue, and Encore Southeast.

Driven by a profound passion for expanding access to music and the arts, Tiff believes that artistic expression is vital for community healing and well-being. Tiff is honored to support Chamber Music Wilmington in its mission to bring exceptional music and cultural resources to the region.

For inquiries regarding sponsorships, grassroots partnerships, or organizational support, contact Tiff directly at operations@chambermusicwilmington.org.

Image Gallery

Grammy® Award Winning Akropolis Reed Quintet performing for a full house at Beckwith Recital Hall
Grammy® Award Winning Akropolis Reed Quintet performing for a full house at Beckwith Recital Hall
Patt Marriott, left, welcoming the Balourdet Quartet to WHQR.
Patt Marriott, left, welcoming the Balourdet Quartet to WHQR.
Balourdet Quartet at Wrightsville Beach
Balourdet Quartet at Wrightsville Beach