The Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music group will perform March 6 in the Southern Theatre.

A new name and an impressive lineup of artists are the hallmarks of the 2003-04 season for Chamber Music Columbus (CMColumbus), formerly the Columbus Chamber Music Society.

The name change, said board president Ivan I. Mueller, is to remove the last vestiges of elitism suggested by the term society.

"Chamber Music Columbus began in 1948 as Prestige Concerts,'' Mueller said. "The idea then was to have a concert series only for connoisseurs. Since then, chamber music has become much more popular, not just for listeners but for players as well. Now all kinds of music lovers come to chamber music concerts.''

The organization, which operates on a $110,000 annual budget, is run entirely by volunteers. It recently widened its scope by co-sponsoring the Chamber Music Connection's annual Spring Festival workshops, competitions and concerts at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware. Members of the well-known Cavani Quartet, who have appeared many times locally, act as jurors. The young workshop participants also play in the Southern Theatre lobby before Chamber Music Columbus concerts.

In 1983, Prestige Concerts became the Columbus Chamber Music Society. The organization has found that, to many funding sources, the term society is unwelcome. Hence the current name. Chamber Music Columbus earns more than 50 percent of its budget from ticket sales, 25 percent from memberships and the remainder from grants and contributions.

Memberships cost $80 to $120 and can be purchased by calling 614-267-2267. The organization has 140 household members and 300 season subscribers.

"I am very proud of our organization,'' Mueller said. "We have a working board that carries a heavy load. The miracle of this whole thing is that we have always been able to find a group of volunteers to do an almost full-time job. They are brought together solely by the love of chamber music.''

All concerts begin at 8 p.m. in the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. The 2003-04 season:

* Oct. 18 -- American Chamber Players. The six-member ensemble will offer a master class in conjunction with its appearance, during the String Teachers Association convention.

* Nov. 29 -- Anonymous 4 with Alyssa Reit, harp. The vocal quartet will get a jump on the Christmas season with "Wolcum Yule,'' combining ancient, traditional and contemporary songs with Celtic harp. It will be the singers' last season as a full-time ensemble.

* Jan. 24 -- Avalon String Quartet. Resident quartet of the Juilliard School of Music, the ensemble will play works by Brahms, Arensky and Shostakovich.

* March 6 -- Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music. Hosted by pianist Charles Wadsworth, this popular group will play selections by Saint-Saens, Dvorak, Beethoven, Debussy and Mendelssohn.

* April 17 -- Muir String Quartet with pianist Gilbert Kalish. The program of the resident ensemble of the Boston University School of Music will include the Brahms Piano Quintet.

-- Barbara Zuck

bzuck@dispatch.com