We are an organization of professional musicians dedicated to playing chamber music, and are committed to nurturing both musicians and audiences while maintaining a personal connection between the two. We believe in the true spirit of chamber music, performed in a relatively intimate space without the separation of a large concert stage.

Nebraska Chamber Players is best known for creative programming and excellent artistry. We have a repertoire of several hundred works, including several premieres of commissioned works from composers across North America. In 2007 Third Chair Chamber Players partnered with Angels Theatre Co. for the world premiere of “The Train,” a play about the Holocaust written by Dutch author Carl Slotboom and translated by Lou Leviticus. “The Train” was honored as Outstanding Event of the Year by the 2008 Mayor's Arts Awards. Third Chair Chamber Players co-founder and creative director, Rebecca Van de Bogart, received the Artistic Achievement Award that same year.

Our Story

The Nebraska Chamber Players, originally known as the Third Chair Chamber Players, was formed in 1997. The name “Third Chair Chamber Players” came from the founders of the group, Karen Sandene and Becky Van de Bogart. Becky played piccolo in the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra (seated in the third chair in the flute section) and Karen was the contrabassoon player (the third chair in the bassoon section).

In 1998, TCCP became the Chamber Ensemble in Residence at NET Radio, Nebraska’s NPR station. TCCP and NET Radio produced an Open Rehearsal radio program which aired four times a year across the Nebraska network, and their series performances have become a part of the Nebraska Concerts Series. We have performed in Omaha, Kearney, Red Cloud, Cambridge, and Bancroft, Nebraska. In 2006 we established Concerts on the Creek, an annual summer concert series held in Cambridge, Nebraska.

We celebrated 25 years together during our 2022-23 season, sharing our unique brand of chamber music with listeners across the state.

Informal, family-friendly chamber music

Our current performance home is located in the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A Street, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Musicians mingle and visit with audience members before and after concerts, as well as during intermission. Nebraska Chamber Players concerts are family-friendly events, welcoming music lovers of all ages.