“When kids come into contact with professional artists they’re impressed: it’s definitely an inspiring thing for them. There’s a definite change too: they spend more time practicing and rehearsing. They become avid listeners. They understand the goal, become more committed to it.”  
Theodore Wiprud, Chamber Music America

At TCCP we believe this for all ages.

The Third Chair Chamber Players ( TCCP) formed in 1997 as an organization of professional musicians dedicated to playing chamber music. It is an organization that believes in nurturing musicians and audiences. TCCP has dedicated itself to giving audiences the opportunity to experience the wonderful, engaging and varied repertoire of chamber music and provide educational programs encouraging participation in playing chamber music. TCCP was organized by musicians who loved and needed a chamber music opportunity. The organizational founders of the group were Karen Sandene and  Becky Van de Bogart. The origin of the name? Becky was the piccolo chair in the orchestra or the third chair and Karen was the contra bassoon in the bassoon section or the third chair and it has stuck.  

In 1998 TCCP became the Chamber Ensemble in Residence at NET-Radio Nebraska’s PRN station. TCCP and NET-Radio produced an Open Rehearsal radio program that aired four times a year across the Nebraska network and their series performances became a part of the Nebraska in Concert Series. In 2003 the partners traveled to Red Cloud, Nebraska for their first out-state concert. It was a full day of activities in the community beginning with a live performance on NET-Radio’s Friday morning program Live from the Mill on the Road, performing in the towns restaurant over lunch, visiting the Will Cather homes in the afternoon and culminating with a benefit reception and concert to help the fundraising efforts of the newly renovated Opera House. The evening event was the second largest audience in the Opera House history and was a resounding success for all involved. The next project is on the drawing board for this next year.

TCCP is best known for its creative programming and excellent artistry. The players repertoire includes over 240 works including 5 premiers of commissioned works from composer across North America, a chamber production of The Beggars Opera and in 2007 will premiere the play and original score for The Train by the Dutch author Carl Slotboom.

TCCP has created and presented four education and outreach programs.

• “Music in Your Space”
• “Music Mentors”
• Informance/Performance
• Red Dot Cards

Each program has a target audience or participant level and involves interactive between TCCP players and the participants. The educational and outreach programs try to develop a bond between the players and the participants that will light a spark of appreciation for chamber music they will then carry with them beyond the initial experience.

The “Music in Your Space” program takes the TCCP players into the elementary school classrooms, working with the students in their classroom space, learning how to make decisions as a leaderless team. The players and the students discuss different ways to perform a piece, try them, choose the best and have a performance. Later that day the players perform a free, thirty-five minute concert in the school or adjacent community center for the school and the community. The project impacts approximately 1000 students and community persons who would not traditionally attend a concert.

“Music Mentors” pairs TCCP musicians with two public school music programs for a 12 week period during a school year. The mentors meet with the groups once a week for 50 minutes at the school. The ensembles receive musical instruction on their own instrument and learn to rehearse and perform as a chamber ensemble. The TCCP musicians share their career experiences, information about recordings, historical information on the music and encourage the mentees to attend local chamber music events by providing complimentary tickets to the performances. The personal attention from the mentors encourages curiosity and heightened appreciation and musical skills in the mentees. The parent survey responses say that the students increase their self-confidence, creativity, public presence, and performance confidence.

The Informance/Performance is an open rehearsal for the community and has no admittance charge. Folks are invited to come and go as they please during the rehearsal. The goal is to let people who aren't certain about a chamber music concert setting and parents with younger kids to come and stay as long or as short as they like. We talk with them and interact during the 2 hour rehearsal.

TCCP distributes Red Dot Cards to secondary school students giving them the chance to attend a concert and bring a guest for the price of one student admission or $5. TCCP distributes 200 of these cards before each concert series.

In the ongoing effort to spread the word about chamber music TCCP launched a new program in 2004 called Lunch and Learn. A block of concert passes are purchased and TCCP players come to the corporate or business plant to play and talk to the employees about chamber music, what they will hear at the concert and fun anecdotes about a career in music.

Lincoln has embraced TCCP with a solid foundation of support. It is a 501 c 3 that has received over $100,000 from local foundations for programming support over the past 8 years. The administration of TCCP is donated by the musicians. TCCP is growing, and to ensure its future has undergone a board development process supported by two community foundation grants.

Our home is The Loft at the Mill. TCCP has had a chair on the board of The Loft at the Mill since its incorporation five years ago. The ambiance of the space at The Loft is part of our total concert experience. Folks love the casualness, and the sound quality of the space is superb. The space is located in the center of the historic Haymarket and is a cornerstone of the downtown theatre loop. The Loft is a black box space that allows us the versatility to configure it any way we like determined by the repertoire. There is a social period 30 minutes before the program begins. Gourmet hors d’oeuvres and a variety of beverages greet the patrons and TCCP musicians mingle and talk with the audience during the breaks in the concert. We often have a guest expert on a work we are performing. TCCP is a family friendly event and we actively encourage all ages to come and participate.

Our Mission

The Third Chair Chamber Players are dedicated to creating an appreciation and understanding of Chamber Music in its many styles and configurations by presenting high quality concerts at affordable prices to an audience of all ages in casual and informal environments that encourage interaction and understanding between audiences and performers.

Our Goals