Palo Alto School of Chamber Music
First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
About
Palo Alto School of Chamber Music offers chamber music programs that include the Allegro Ensemble, small Chamber Groups, a Summer Camp, private lessons, and year-round coaching sessions in chamber music. Students play in trios, quartets, or quintets, and participate in concerts as part of the program. Strings, woodwinds, and pianists of all ages and abilities are welcome, and the program includes varied musical repertoire along with music theory, music history, stage presence, and rehearsal techniques.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: A week-long summer program is offered as part of the Summer Camp
The Palo Alto School of Chamber Music began offering a chamber music program in the summer of 2015, which has developed into year-round coaching sessions and concerts, and Claudia Bloom has been the Director since 2015. Its mission is to create opportunities for musicians of all ages to express themselves, work as a team, try out new ideas, develop critical thinking, and learn how to collaborate successfully. A feature in the Palo Alto Weekly describes how the Palo Alto School of Chamber Music nurtures small ensembles with collaborative spirit. One testimonial about the program states, “There’s nothing quite like chamber music. We play as a team, but each member has a unique voice.”
Director Claudia Bloom, violin, earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student under Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne, received the Karl Kraeuter Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chamber Music, and completed her Master of Music degree as a teaching assistant at the Yale School of Music. She was a member of the Ciompi Quartet in residence at Duke University, co-concertmaster of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, has performed in the Bloom Duo and Trio in the United States, Canada, and Colombia, and has played principal second violin in Opera San Jose since 1993 while performing as a chamber musician and soloist with the Redwood Symphony Orchestra. Cellist Lucinda Breed Lenicheck played Principal Cello with Opera San Jose for 32 years, has taught at Mills College, Stanford University, San Jose State University, Kenyon College, Otterbein College, and Capital University, and her background includes The Banff School, Tanglewood, the Spoleto Festival, and Stanford BA and MA degrees. Violinist and violist Virginia Smedberg earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance at the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student of Raphael Bronstein, has played in the San Jose Symphony and the orchestras of Opera San Jose and West Bay Opera for over 40 years, performed with the Manzanita Piano Quartet for over 20 years, directed the Intermezzo String Ensembles of the San Jose Youth Symphony, and teaches violin, viola, and chamber music privately and with the Palo Alto School of Chamber Music. Conductor and violinist Stella Bonilla holds a DMA and MM in Conducting from Louisiana State University and a BM in Violin Performance from the State Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, has directed several youth and school orchestras, is certified in the Suzuki and Mark O'Connor methods, has more than 20 years of violin teaching experience, and has performed with multiple orchestras as well as in a Klezmer ensemble and the tango group Orchestra Tipica Domo.
Last updated June 17, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: A week-long summer program is offered as part of the Summer Camp
The Palo Alto School of Chamber Music began offering a chamber music program in the summer of 2015, which has developed into year-round coaching sessions and concerts, and Claudia Bloom has been the Director since 2015. Its mission is to create opportunities for musicians of all ages to express themselves, work as a team, try out new ideas, develop critical thinking, and learn how to collaborate successfully. A feature in the Palo Alto Weekly describes how the Palo Alto School of Chamber Music nurtures small ensembles with collaborative spirit. One testimonial about the program states, “There’s nothing quite like chamber music. We play as a team, but each member has a unique voice.”
Director Claudia Bloom, violin, earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student under Raphael Bronstein and Ariana Bronne, received the Karl Kraeuter Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chamber Music, and completed her Master of Music degree as a teaching assistant at the Yale School of Music. She was a member of the Ciompi Quartet in residence at Duke University, co-concertmaster of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, has performed in the Bloom Duo and Trio in the United States, Canada, and Colombia, and has played principal second violin in Opera San Jose since 1993 while performing as a chamber musician and soloist with the Redwood Symphony Orchestra. Cellist Lucinda Breed Lenicheck played Principal Cello with Opera San Jose for 32 years, has taught at Mills College, Stanford University, San Jose State University, Kenyon College, Otterbein College, and Capital University, and her background includes The Banff School, Tanglewood, the Spoleto Festival, and Stanford BA and MA degrees. Violinist and violist Virginia Smedberg earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance at the Manhattan School of Music as a full scholarship student of Raphael Bronstein, has played in the San Jose Symphony and the orchestras of Opera San Jose and West Bay Opera for over 40 years, performed with the Manzanita Piano Quartet for over 20 years, directed the Intermezzo String Ensembles of the San Jose Youth Symphony, and teaches violin, viola, and chamber music privately and with the Palo Alto School of Chamber Music. Conductor and violinist Stella Bonilla holds a DMA and MM in Conducting from Louisiana State University and a BM in Violin Performance from the State Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, has directed several youth and school orchestras, is certified in the Suzuki and Mark O'Connor methods, has more than 20 years of violin teaching experience, and has performed with multiple orchestras as well as in a Klezmer ensemble and the tango group Orchestra Tipica Domo.
Last updated June 17, 2026.
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