History of the festival

The San Miguel Chamber Music Festival began 32 years ago when, under the leadership of Carmen Massip de Hawkins, a dedicated group of music lovers established the tradition of presenting chamber musicians of the highest caliber in San Miguel de Allende.

From the Fine Arts Quartet which opened the first Festival through to this year, the Festival has presented over 100 groups and soloists from many continents. The Festival’s raison d’etre is education and every year offers young, advanced-level students from  Mexico and North America  the opportunity to participate in workshops and master classes conducted by the Festival quartet-in-residence as well as the many performing groups that are presented in concert.

Having supported the development of over 1,000 young musicians since 1979, the Festival continues this tradition into the next decade. Founded on the presentation of the great artists of our day and dedicated to the development of the next generation of musicians, the San Miguel Chamber Music Festival is now firmly established as a premier chamber music event in Mexico and as an important international music destination.