The 40th season of the International Festival of Chamber Music kicks off at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 at Memorial Chapel.
The festival, comprised of 15 performances over seven months, begins with a performance by Sophie Shao and Friends. Shao, on cello, will perform with Arnaud Sussman and Lily Francis, violins, and Paul Neubauer on viola.
The music of the festival ranges from pre-Baroque to the 21st century. There are all-Bach, all-Mozart and all-Mendelssohn concerts. New to the series is mezzo Jennifer Johnson Cano on Nov. 9. Cano, who was called “A prodigious exciting talent” by the New York Times, will perform selections by Nicola Porpora, Mahler, Ravel and more. Closing out the series on April 14 is the Musicians from Marlboro. The quintet will perform works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich.