Kick Off New Year with Chamber Music and Fancy Footwork

Chamber Project St. Louis kicks off the new year with DANCE BREAK: Fancy Footwork, an energetic, rhythm-driven chamber music program inspired by dance traditions from around the world. The concert takes place Sunday, January 18 at 5:00 PM in the Club Room (upstairs) at the Schlafly Tap Room, offering audiences an intimate, upbeat musical experience paired with great local beer and good company.

Second Performance with SIUE Dance – January 28 - 7:30 PM

SIUE Dancers.

Audiences will have a second chance to experience this unique program on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 7:30 PM at SIUE’s Dunham Hall in Edwardsville, IL. This special performance features live dancers from the SIUE Dance Department, adding a dynamic visual layer to the already movement-rich music.

Chamber Project St. Louis

Schafly Tap Room Performance

Guests are invited to arrive early to enjoy drinks from the bar, and dinner is available in the restaurant downstairs before or after the performance. The one-hour program explores how composers across eras have drawn inspiration from movement, footwork, and dance—ranging from Baroque court traditions to American folk influences, from Shostakovich’s playful Polka to an iconic Argentine tango.

First performance of Dance Break: Fancy Footwork takes place in the Schlafly Tap Room Club Room.

Program:

  • Johann Sebastian Bach – Allemande from Cello Suite (c. 1717–1723)

  • Kenji Bunch – Allemande Pour Tout Le Monde (2015)

  • Valerie Coleman – Shotgun Houses (2022)

  • Dmitri Shostakovich – Two Pieces for String Quartet (Elegy and Polka) (1931)

  • Aníbal Troilo / arr. Osvaldo Golijov – Responsono (1951)

Performers:
Dana Hotle, clarinet
Kyle Lombard and Rebecca Chen, violins
Laura Reycraft, viola
Marta Simidtchieva, cello
Chantall Incandela, bass

Tickets and details are available at: chamberprojectstl.org/season-18
Eventbrite: eventbrite.com/e/dance-break-fancy-footwork-tickets

SIUE Performance Details

January 28, 2026 — 7:30–9:00 PM
SIUE Dunham Hall, 50 Hairpin Drive, Edwardsville, IL 62026
Tickets: events.hometownticketing.com

About Chamber Project St. Louis

Chamber Project St. Louis (CPSTL) is a collaborative chamber music ensemble that presents innovative, inclusive concerts in non-traditional venues, focusing on music by women, people of color, and local composers alongside classics, aiming to create meaningful, accessible experiences for diverse audiences by breaking down barriers in classical music. Founded in 2007, they offer themed programs with live introductions to make chamber music approachable, connecting past traditions with contemporary voices in intimate settings like galleries and libraries. 

What They Do

  • Inclusive Programming: They feature works by historically excluded composers (women, people of color, LGBTQ+ creators) and celebrated classics, notes STLPR.org.

  • Innovative Concerts: Performances are held in unique spaces (art museums, breweries, libraries) rather than traditional concert halls, with themes and narration for context, say KSDK.com and St. Louis Magazine, notes The Sheldon.

  • Community Focus: They provide high-level employment for local musicians, commission new works, and offer low ticket prices to foster a vibrant St. Louis arts scene, according to Chamber Project Saint Louis. 

Their Mission
CPSTL seeks to reinvent the chamber music experience, making it more engaging and accessible by disrupting gatekeeping and creating warm, welcoming, and meaningful interactions between performers, music, and audience members, say Chamber Project Saint Louis and KSDK.com. 

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