Rolling Hills Chamber Music
Classical music events championing the art and artists of Iowa and the Midwest.
Launch a chamber music festival in central IA
Championing the art & artists of Iowa through live chamber music. Inaugural season coming in 2026 with your support!
Ames, IA, US
Iowa. It’s often imagined as a flat, empty expanse. But those who live here know what Iowa really is: a land of rolling hills. And just like our landscape isn’t as flat as people think… neither is our art.
From Antonín Dvořák's iconic “American Quartet” written in Spillville to the Mason City-inspired setting of The Music Man to the contemporary works being written by today’s living composers throughout the state — Iowa is, and has always been, a place buzzing with life and creativity.
Rolling Hills Chamber Music is a new project dedicated to celebrating this legacy and contributing to its future with live music performed by our region’s own professional musicians.
Talented artists, beautiful compositions, welcoming venues, gorgeous landscapes… we have all the ingredients we need for our first weekend-long festival in 2026. Now we just need your support.
**We’re seeking to raise $7,800, which will go toward artist fees (by far our biggest expense) and ensure the viability of our inaugural season.**
Here’s what your (tax-deductible!) support will make possible in 2026:
- A weekend of daily concerts at various venues in Ames, IA.
- Each program will showcase music written in Iowa or by Iowans, performed by top local, professional talent.
- A community reading party for students, amateurs, and professionals alike to come together and play chamber music as it was originally intended to be played—not on big stages, but among friends in intimate spaces.
Why Rolling Hills Chamber Music?
> We didn’t want to create a generic festival that could happen anywhere. Instead, we’re committed to creating experiences that are specific to this place. It’s part of our way of insisting that all communities deserve great art and honoring the communities that sustain us.
> Ames is fortunate to host plenty of live music, yet still lacks chamber music in the summer! We’re planning a summer festival to fill that gap.
> By engaging local performers, we’ll be circulating your dollars within our own arts economy. More professional opportunities make central Iowa a better place for artists to work and live, helping to retain talent and boost artistic quality.
> We take an expansive approach to what classical music is and can be. With wide variety in our programming and presenting at different venues within the community, we aim to attract both longtime classical music lovers and newcomers as audience members.
> Ames is fortunate to host plenty of live music, yet still lacks chamber music in the summer! We’re planning a summer festival to fill that gap.
> By engaging local performers, we’ll be circulating your dollars within our own arts economy. More professional opportunities make central Iowa a better place for artists to work and live, helping to retain talent and boost artistic quality.
> We take an expansive approach to what classical music is and can be. With wide variety in our programming and presenting at different venues within the community, we aim to attract both longtime classical music lovers and newcomers as audience members.
Putting on a successful festival comes with many costs, including:
- $10K in artist fees, because working musicians need to get paid to keep doing what they do! (We’re already raised a portion, so the $7,800 from this campaign will bring us to the $10K mark.)
- Sheet music & rights for newer works still under copyright.
- Space rentals.
- Insurance.
- Operational support.
- Promotion & advertising. (Especially as a first-time festival, we need to get the word out!)
- Lots of other little things that add up, even when you’re trying to be scrappy.
But if we all pitch in, even a little? Funding live music becomes EASY.
Hitting our campaign goal is as simple as:
> 55 people giving the equivalent of a music streaming subscription for one year ($144)
> 260 people donating the cost of 2 movie tickets ($30).
> 1,560 people (0.25% of the population of Ames) contributing the cost of an iced coffee ($5).
As a new project putting on a first-time festival, each bit of individual support we receive is game-changing.
Your tax-deductible contribution to this campaign, at any amount, will have a tangible impact on our ability to enrich the lives of central Iowa residents, working artists, and visitors through live music.
Lastly, a note about who we are...
Rolling Hills Chamber Music is helmed by Ari Dubin, a professional violinist and Ames native. Since her early days playing on VEISHEA parade floats and soloing with the Central Iowa Symphony, Ari has gone on to perform at notable venues like Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Her eclectic career so far has included three years as a member of the Des Moines Symphony, appearing as an on-screen performer in the Oscar-nominated film Maestro, and composing and performing an original score at a film festival in Croatia. Outside of music, Ari also works in marketing and loves spending time outdoors.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support — and we hope to see you in Ames this summer!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support — and we hope to see you in Ames this summer!
Rewards
Neighbor
Donate $50.00 or more
Amount is fully tax-deductible.
- Curated playlist of Iowa music
- Early access to purchase RHCM tickets
- Acknowledgment in our program + website
0 claimed
Friend
Donate $100.00 or more
Amount over $20.00 is tax-deductible.
- Discount code for RHCM tickets + merch
- Curated playlist of Iowa music
- Early access to purchase tickets
- Acknowledgement in our program + website
0 claimed
Musician Sponsor
Donate $500.00 or more
Amount over $150.00 is tax-deductible.
A gift at this level sponsors a musician for one performance. You'll receive:
- 2 free tickets to all RHCM 2026 events
- Discount code for additional tickets + merch
- Curated playlist of Iowa music
- Acknowledgment in our program + website
0 / 20 claimed
Legacy Supporter
Donate $1,500.00 or more
Amount over $300.00 is tax-deductible.
A gift at this level sets up RHCM for long-term success! You’ll be recognized with:
- Acknowledgement on our website in perpetuity
- 4 free tickets to all RHCM 2026 events
- Discount code for additional tickets + merch
- Curated playlist of Iowa music
0 claimed