The Essex Chamber Music Players (ECMP) under the Artistic Direction of Michael G. Finegold is devoted to the creation and presentation of new classical music along with great musical treasures of the past. Our motto is Music for the Twenty-first Century: Treasures of the Past, New Music Premieres. Hearing the best of the music produced in the 17th thru the 21st centuries, as well as the new music being created is an exciting experience. Essex Chamber Music Players, Inc is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization.

We are important to the Merrimack Valley and Essex County’s cultural life, and our presence helps draw people to the area as well as promote and support the business community. We have been performing at Northern Essex Community College since the fall of 1999 and had our Inaugural concert in the spring of 2000. We reach out and connect with the community. As of fall 2006 our residency at NECC was initiated. We perform in local towns as well as at the college. Our concerts have been successful and our audience is growing. We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2010 with a gala concert and CD release on April 18, 2010.

The core instrumentation of ECMP is flute, cello and piano. Other instruments are added. The Essex Chamber Music Players are virtuoso performers. We have four or more concerts a year and two fundraisers. We commission composers and support local artists. We collaborate with historical organizations in the Merrimack Valley and throughout Essex County in our unique project Preserving Local Cultural History Through Music. In 2006 we received recognition for our work by the Essex National Heritage Commission.

We launched our music education program Local Cultural History Through Music in Haverhill at the Consentino middle school spring 2009. For Haverhill the program was nicknamed 'Notes' on Haverhill History. We visited the Whittier, Nettle and Hunking middle schools in the fall of 2010. In 2010 we received a City of Haverhill, Massachusetts Official Citation presented by the Office of the Mayor in recognition of our being chosen as a 2010 Haverhill Cultural Council Grant Recipient for our project "Notes on Haverhill History."

Our debut ECMP CD Classic Contemporary Chamber Music for the 21st Century, Volume 1 is now available at major Internet venues, i.e., iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby, and others.

ECMP is partially supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Northern Essex Community College.

We are involved in a recording project of new music works composed for ECMP about the Merrimack Valley and Essex County, as well as new works and music treasures in general.

The ECMP consists of a Board of Directors, the ECMP Committee and a Board of Composers. If you are interested in volunteering please contact us.

Our plans include:

• Expanding our concert performances.
• Bringing our Preserving Local Cultural History Through Music concerts to public and private schools. We want to educate students about the rich culture and history of the Merrimack Valley and Essex County, and foster the knowledge, appreciation and perception of musical art.
• Continuing our studio-recording project of local composers’ works
• Expanding our touring throughout Massachusetts and New England