The group has not yet attempted to get official student group status from Harvard, but members say that they contemplate such a move in the future.

"This is something that we have talked about, and I think it would be a good idea to become recognized as a student group," Lee said. "Mainly, it would be beneficial for our money-situation and to get our name out there."

Students participating in the chamber music group said that in general, they find working with other Harvard musicians rewarding.

"There's a lot that musicians at Harvard can offer that you can't find at a conservatory," Joseph I. Lin '00, a violinist in the group, said. "They have depth and breadth of experience that's reflected in the music."

The group's members are all experienced musicians, many of whom frequently play in campus concerts as soloists. Transitioning from work as soloists and primary players in large groups to ensemble work with peers was a challenge. One result was that the group's first rehearsal was inordinately loud, according to Lee.

"It was hard, we definitely have work to do, but it was interesting--a soloist mentality in a group so big," she said. "In some ways [the soloist mentality] also helps because people had said after the concert that our sound and tone was so huge, and so rich."

With several other chamber groups, not to mention two larger orchestras on campus, the group may have to shape a musical presentation that is unique in order to attract future audiences. But Lee says one of the ideas behind the group's foundation was to increase the popularity and visibility of classical music at Harvard, that more groups are at present still not enough.

"I don't think that students take enough advantage of the concerts that go on around campus," she said. "Perhaps, the hype of this group will make people want to trek over to Paine Hall or Sanders to enjoy some classical music."

Lee said the new group provides Harvard with a sampler of the extraordinary musical talent that can be found among Harvard's students.

"I think getting all these people together is like [saying] "This is the level of playing that exists at Harvard, this is how good the musicians are,'" she says. "Take notice of it, because music here at Harvard is excellent."