Story of Empath Concerts
Co-founders Celaya Kirchner (violinist) and Emma Hays Johnson (cellist) met while pursuing their Master's degrees in music performance at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) in Amherst.  During their time as members of the UMass graduate fellowship quartet, they became fast friends after realizing they shared a love of chamber music.  When performing or attending concerts together, Kirchner and Johnson found themselves discussing topics surrounding the composers and music, which initiated conversations about current events. They continued studying and performing chamber music together in their two years at UMass and were eager to maintain their collaboration post graduation. 

Their dream of starting a concert series brought them to the D.C. area, where they began organizing house concerts.  They soon realized how eager audiences are to ask questions and share their thoughts.  This inspired the two musicians to find a way to join their love of chamber music and informed conversations, therefore empowering audience members to voice their opinions in a collaborative environment.  Empath Concerts focuses on the art of listening and empathy to experience music and address important issues that are present in our world today.  

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Celaya Kirchner (violin) & Emma Hays Johnson (cello)

Vision

Empath Concerts is a new concert series whose purpose is to bring people together to experience art, start conversations about important issues, and gain a better understanding of each other.  Our hope is that audience members leave feeling inspired to continue these conversations in their day to day lives.  Currently, these concerts are hosted in Maryland, typically in homes, which help to facilitate the feeling of community that we aspire to create.  Eventually, Empath Concerts would love to take these concerts on the road and present them in homes, community centers, and universities all over the country. If you are interested in supporting our vision, click below.
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