Belfast Chamber Music (BCM) opens its second season with a concert featuring the Trillium String Quartet on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, at 4 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 37 Miller Street, Belfast. Admission is free, with donations encouraged to support the performers.

The program will include Antonín Dvořák’s famed “American” String Quintet, Op. 97, performed with BCM Artistic Director Philipp Elssner, alongside vibrant quartets by Jessie Montgomery and Felix Mendelssohn.

Comprised of violinists Sommer Altier and Judith Kim, violist Sydney Link, and cellist Amelia Smerz, the Trillium String Quartet was formed out of a love for chamber music, collaboration, and connection. In 2025, the quartet was named a semi-finalist in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and has performed at prestigious events including the Calidore String Quartet Seminar, Texas Chamber Music Institute, and Stretto Festival. The ensemble recently completed a year-long residency as the Graduate String Quartet at Montclair State University and currently serves as Artist Faculty for the inaugural Kinhaven Semester School Program in Weston, Vermont. The quartet is known to Maine audiences for their participation at the DaPonte String Quartet Institute earlier this year.

BCM Artistic Director Philipp Elssner is a violinist, violist, and music theorist based in midcoast Maine. Since June of 2024 he has been a member of Maine’s renowned DaPonte String Quartet. In addition to his work with the quartet, Elssner also frequently performs with the Lake Trio across Maine, North Carolina, Michigan, and beyond. His principal teachers have included Jinjoo Cho at McGill, and Jaime Laredo and Jan Sloman at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has performed around the US and Canada, and at music festivals including Encore Chamber Music, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival.

Founded in 2024 by local artists, Belfast Chamber Music is dedicated to enriching the community through the transformative power of chamber music. BCM’s mission is to provide accessible, high-quality musical experiences that inspire, educate, and connect diverse audiences — fostering collaboration among local musicians, supporting emerging talent, and featuring touring artists.