Chamberfest Is Coming to The Record Centre — Five Free Concerts, Starting July 24

Ottawa Chamberfest is one of the finest chamber music festivals in the world, and this year some of it is happening right here in the shop.

From July 24 to August 1, The Record Centre is hosting five free events as part of the official The Record Centre Series — live performances and listening sessions woven into the fabric of what we do every day. You don't need a ticket. You just need to show up.

Chamberfest 2026 runs July 23 to August 2 — the festival's 30th anniversary, coinciding with Ottawa's bicentennial — and the full program spans venues across the city. What we're hosting here is the most intimate corner of that program: artists and music in a room full of records, at no charge, for anyone who wants to be there.

Here's what's coming:

Kathryn Patricia Cobbler — Viola & Loop Pedal

Friday, July 25 · 5:00 PM · Free

Kathryn Patricia Cobbler performs solo viola with live looping — building layered, evolving soundscapes in real time from a single instrument. It's the kind of performance that works exceptionally well in a small space: you hear every breath, every bow change, every new layer as it arrives. A genuinely unusual way to spend a Friday evening.

Philip Chiu — Piano

Saturday, July 26 · 3:00 PM · Free

Philip Chiu is one of Canada's most sought-after collaborative pianists, known for his warmth, intelligence, and complete command of the repertoire. A solo recital from him in a record store on a Saturday afternoon is exactly the kind of unexpected gift that makes a festival worth paying attention to. Program details to be announced — whatever he plays, it will be worth being there for.

Yolanda Bruno & Michael Bridge — Violin & Accordion

Monday, July 27 · 4:00 PM · Free

Violinist Yolanda Bruno and accordionist Michael Bridge bring together two instruments that have crossed more stylistic borders than almost any others in Western music — and their combination promises something genuinely cross-genre. Folk, classical, tango, and points between. One of the most intriguing pairings in the series.

Terry Riley — A Rainbow in Curved Air Listening Session

Saturday, August 1 · 3:00 PM · Free

Terry Riley turns 90 this year, and we're marking the occasion the right way: putting his 1969 masterpiece on the turntable and listening to it together. A Rainbow in Curved Air is one of the foundational documents of minimalist music — a record that changed what people thought a single musician with tape loops and keyboards could do, and one that still sounds like the future. Come sit with it.

Cris Derksen — The Visit Listening Session

Saturday, August 1 · 3:00 PM · Free

A tribute to Cris Derksen, the celebrated Cree-Canadian cellist and composer who passed away in 2025. The Visit is a memorial album, and this listening session is an opportunity to honour her work and her legacy in the way that feels most fitting — attentively, together, in a room built for this kind of listening.

Note: both August 1 sessions are listed at 3:00 PM — we recommend checking the Chamberfest website closer to the date to confirm the schedule.

All five events are free and open to everyone. No tickets, no reservations. Just come to 1099 Wellington Street West and walk in.

The full Chamberfest 2026 program — including ticketed concerts across the city through August 2 — is at chamberfest.com.

We'll see you here!