Concerts in the Heights (CITH) is a monthly chamber music series based at Fort Washington Collegiate Church (181st Street and Fort Washington Avenue) designed to share musical performances and educational programs of the highest quality with the Washington Heights community. The goal of the series is twofold: to enable Washington Heights residents to enjoy music for small ensembles in an appropriately intimate setting, and to expose neighborhood residents, many of whom do not have access to chamber music, to quality performances, helping to develop new audiences for the art form.

CITH's programs range from classical repertoire to contemporary works by living composers, including those in the New York area. Each program in the ten-month series is offered twice: a daytime educational performance for local school children (ages 9-13) as well as senior citizens, and an evening performance for the larger community. Since audience members for both series are often unfamiliar with this repertoire, programs are interactive. Evening concerts include discussion and opportunities for questions both prior to and during the concert, followed by informal receptions open to all attendees. Meanwhile, we run the daytime program for middleschool students under the auspices of our Music Education Program. Using an interactive format, CITH musicians work directly with students and seniors, demonstrating their instruments, explaining the background and style of each composition, and engaging students and seniors in discussion throughout the concert.