CMA Awards

Chamber Music America launched a new CMA Awards program in 2024 and honored six extraordinary artists, advocates and change-makers in the chamber music field.   

Now in its second year, CMA will once again celebrate outstanding achievements in the small music community.   

The goals are: 

• to identify ensembles, presenters, and individuals across the country who are most deserving of recognition 
• share with the greater CMA community about the outstanding and innovative work taking place around the country 

The Awards will be presented during the annual Chamber Music America National Conference, taking place February 13-16, 2025, in Houston, TX. Award recipients will receive a $1,000 prize and a commemorative plaque, and complimentary CMA membership for one year. 

Award recipients do not need to receive their awards in person if unable to attend and may receive their award with a videotaped acceptance statement. 

Ensemble / Project of the Year
This award celebrates an ensemble or ensemble project that has demonstrated exceptional artistry, musicality, and groundbreaking impact on the chamber music landscape.   

Commission / New Work of the Year
This award recognizes exceptional compositional talent and serves as a catalyst for the advancement of small-ensemble composition as a vibrant and evolving art form. 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration of the Year
This award recognizes extraordinary endeavors that bridge the gap between music and other art forms, including dance, theater, visual arts, film, literature, and more. 

Album of the Year
This award honors the best recording of the calendar year, released between September 1, 2023 and September 1, 2024. 

Community Impact / Presenter of the Year (previously the CMAcclaim Award)
This award recognizes an individual or organization that has made a profound and lasting contribution to their community through the presentation of chamber music performances, educational outreach initiatives, collaborations with local musicians and organizations, or audience development programs. 

Arts Advocate Award
This award highlights exemplary leadership and a commitment to advancing the arts at the local, state, or national levels. 

Nominations are for ensembles, presenters, and individuals active between September 1, 2023 to September 1, 2024 performing, presenting, or composing any style of small ensemble music encompassing contemporary and traditional jazz, classical, and other chamber music genres.

Eligible Requests 

• Nominees need to be based in the U.S. or its territories  
• The Nominator must be a CMA Member to submit a nomination. 
• Nominees do not need to be a CMA member to be considered. 
• A nominator may submit one nomination; multiple nominations will not be accepted. 
• Nominators must choose one category that best suits the nominee’s programming or professional role in the field.  This is the category in which the applicant will be reviewed by the panel. 
• Previous Awardees can nominate others in future rounds.   

Considerations for Nominated Ensembles   

• A minimum of one member of an Ensemble must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. 
• Ensemble submissions must be for professional ensembles of 2-10 musicians—one musician per part—performing any style of small ensemble music encompassing contemporary and traditional jazz, Western European and/or non-Western classical chamber music, and/or other chamber music genres. 

Ineligible Requests 

• Self-nominations will not be accepted. 
• Nominations will not be accepted by email. All nominations must be submitted using the Submittable platform.  
• A nominator cannot submit multiple nominations for the same nominee. 
• Student groups are not eligible. 

Nominations are due to Chamber Music America by 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on October 17, 2024.  

CMA uses an online nomination through Submittable. Create a free Submittable account if you do not already have one. Only online nominations will be accepted. 

• Complete the online form directly or draft your responses in an offline document as a backup, then copy and paste your information into the online nomination. 
• To save the work you have done on your nomination, you must click “Save Draft” at the bottom of the form before exiting. 
• You can return to your saved nomination to continue working on it by following the log-in instructions. 
• The application will close promptly at 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, October 17, 2024. Late or incomplete nominations will not be accepted. Nominators are encouraged to submit their nominations at least 24 hours before the deadline to avoid last-minute complications. 

To Submit an application: 

• Go to the Application on Submittable.
• Enter the required information in all text boxes 
• Provide supplemental materials and links as indicated. 
• Click “Submit” to send the nomination to CMA; you will receive a confirmation email. 

Nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of classical/contemporary and jazz chamber music professionals; CMA staff and board do not select or adjudicate award recipients. 

Based on the Award category, the panelists evaluate the applications for:  

• programming (e.g., innovative approaches, concepts, themes) 
• special features (e.g., premieres, commissions, retrospectives, CD releases, projects and tours, venues/settings, repeat performances of new and recent works) 
• creativity in developing audiences and community impact 

The Awards will be presented during the annual Chamber Music America National Conference, taking place February 13-16, 2025, in Houston, TX.  

Award recipients do not need to receive their awards in person if unable to attend and may receive their award with a videotaped acceptance statement.

Award recipients will receive a $1,000 prize and a commemorative plaque, and complimentary CMA membership for one year.  

Award funds are taxable income; grantees must comply with all applicable city, state, and federal laws, ordinances, codes, and regulations regarding the reporting of grant funds.  

CMA collects data on race and ethnicity in connection to grant programs and applications; membership; and surveys with partner organizations, like funding partners. As such, CMA has developed a set of standards for keeping, collecting, and presenting data on race and ethnicity that aim to provide consistency in collecting and using this type of data.  

These standards have been developed in accordance with data collection standards by other groups such as CMA’s funders, federal agencies, and agencies that track race and ethnicity data. 

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