The "Verein der Künstler und Kunstfreunde" (since 2004 "Die Kammermusik") was founded in 1872. Its programs included concerts, exhibitions and lectures from various fields of art. The first director of the association was Carl Georg Firnhaber. However, as the spa management increasingly organized its own lecture series, the focus shifted to musical performances with a specialization in chamber music and an emphasis on the string quartet form.

Even then, the inclusion of works of contemporary music was characteristic. Thanks to the commitment of Prof. Franz Mannstaedt, many renowned artists were invited to Wiesbaden, including the violinist Carl Flesch and the cellist Enrico Mainardi as well as the pianists Wilhelm Backhaus and Arthur Schnabel. Composers such as Johannes Brahms, Max Reger and Richard Strauss performed their own works. Before historical performance practice became established in concert halls, a concert by the "Société de Concert des Instruments Anciens" took place in 1904 under the direction of Camille Saint-Saëns.

The war and post-war period proved difficult. In the 1920s, more and more important performers were engaged again, such as the Guarneri Quartet and the pianists Eduard Erdmann, Walter Gieseking, Claudio Arrau and Elly Ney. The 1930s and early 1940s brought a deep break due to the political conditions under National Socialism and, among other things, the resulting absence of Jewish artists, who had played a decisive role in the high quality of the concerts. After the end of the Second World War, it took several years to regain a license to hold concerts.

From the 1950s onwards, outstanding foreign artists, such as cellist Pierre Fournier, pianist Monique Haas and Nikolaus Harnoncourt with his Concentus Musicus Wien on period instruments, began to appear again. Further contacts were subsequently established, e.g. with the Juilliard Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet, the LaSalle Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio. The desire to preserve tradition was always combined with the aim of also performing contemporary music - including world premieres and award-winning commissioned compositions - as well as opening up a space for younger performers.

This corresponds to the endeavor to introduce a young audience to chamber music. The new collaboration with Kronberg Academy should be seen in the context of promoting young artists ("Young Elite"). Another new cooperation was established with the "International Foundation for the Promotion of Culture and Civilization", Munich.

Over 1,200 concerts have taken place since its foundation in 1872. For some years now, a recital has also been held every season. For over a hundred years, the performance venue has been the large hall of the Wiesbaden Casino-Gesellschaft at Friedrichstraße 22.