Don’t bother looking for Delores Stevens this weekend. Starting Friday, she’ll be in rehearsal from morning to night, breaking only for meals and sleep.

She’ll be working on her piano part for Four Soliloquies, a piece of music commissioned by the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society to celebrates its 40th anniversary on the Island, and to honor the pianist, cellist and clarinetist that made up the Montagnana Trio, the musicians that launched the society now four decades ago.

But an exceptional season-opening performance at the Whaling Church on Monday night will be well worth the grueling rehearsal schedule, she said. And both the music society and the original trio are entirely worthy of the honor.

“The Montagnana Trio is what I was a part of 40 years ago, and we started the series then,” said Mrs. Stevens, who is the artistic director for the chamber music society, in an interview in her Chilmark home this week. “We had a big career. We went all over the world, and made lots of recordings.”

And on Monday, they’ll be back on the Island. Well, sort of.

Mrs. Stevens is the only member of the original trio that will perform. Founding clarinetist John Gates has been replaced by Anthony McGill, first clarinetist for the New York Metropolitan Opera. Some might recognize him as the instrumentalist that played alongside cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinist Itzhak Perlman at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009.

And cellist Scott Kluksdahl will replace trio founder Caroline Worthington. Mr. Kluksdahl is an associate professor of cello at the University of South Florida’s school of music, and is a former San Francisco Symphony musician.

Mr. McGill and Mr. Kluksdahl will arrive on Island Friday, and launch right into rehearsals with Mrs. Stevens. That’s why the weekend calls for so little time off; it will be the first they can practice the new piece together.

The three artists will comprise the ensemble Mrs. Stevens has dubbed the Montagnana Trio Redux. “My idea was...that I would have a redux,” said Mrs. Stevens. “In other words, I would bring them back, so to speak.”

The trio will be playing a selection by Beethoven, one by Brahms, and pieces by Max Bruch and Maurice Ravel. And then of course, the world premier of the homage to the original trio, Four Soliloquies, written by esteemed composer Gunther Schuller, who will be there to hear it.

Mrs. Stevens said the piece will be reminiscent of something the original trio might have performed, but will have a fun, modern twist. “There’s a little freedom in it, a little playfulness in it,” she said.

The Montagnana Trio was actually formed in London in 1968 by Mr. Gates, Ms. Worthington and a British pianist. But only after the original pianist left the group and was replaced by Mrs. Stevens two years later did the trio begin to perform on the Island. Immediately, the Vineyard was swept away. For some 15 years they would continue to play a handful of concerts to rapt Vineyard audiences each summer.

The group eventually disbanded in the mid-1980s, after Mr. Gates relocated to California. But the two women were determined to find a way to keep the music alive, even without their clarinetist. They did so by opening up their exclusive group and welcoming musicians of all specialties to join in performances. They became the Chilmark Chamber Players, and the music played on.

“It’s marvelous,” said Mrs. Stevens of the society’s impact on the Island arts scene. Even with a plethora of musical entertainment options in the busiest summer months on the Vineyard, the chamber music players stood out. “[This is] very high caliber. The performances are the best in the country, if not the world,” she said of the standard of the musicians who have delighted classical music lovers for all those years.

And the delight worked both ways. In honor of the 40th anniversary celebration, Mrs. Stevens asked some 20 participating musicians to share their thoughts and experiences of performing on the Vineyard.

“The premier of my trio was one of the highlights of my career,” wrote California composer Morton Subotnick. “The beautiful performance, the attention and love given to details of a very detailed piece, the beauty of the hall and the warm and touching standing ovation have all lingered in my mind.”

“I feel so fortunate to have spent many joyful summers on the Vineyard gaining invaluable musical experience and lasting friendships,” wrote Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim.

“Our time on Martha’s Vineyard last summer is still one of our highlights as a quartet,” wrote Harlem String Quartet violinist Melissa White. “From the moment we stepped off the ferry we were in love with the environment! Every person we encountered was extremely eager to have us there. We love what we do, and getting to share our music with a most gracious audience on one of America’s most beautiful islands was an absolute utopia.”

“It’s fantastic to think that we have all this history with all these fabulous players,” said Mrs. Stevens of the testimonials.

The far reach of the music society goes beyond the energetic performances they’ve staged over the past 40 years. They’ve made grand contributions to the world of classical music by commissioning more than a dozen pieces over the years, some of which have seen worldwide success. “A lot of them have been recorded professionally, so we’re very happy about that, that we’ve given that to the world,” said Mrs. Stevens.

The legacy of the chamber music society is lasting, and will surely live on past the 40-year mark. The summer concert series continues to draw the most talented musicians from around the country and the world. This year, it kicks off with a cocktail party and private concert on Sunday, where one of Mrs. Stevens’ prizewinning students from her off-season home in Los Angeles will perform. He’s a 17-year-old jazz musician. “My student is just extraordinarily talented, and he’s a composer as well. He’s only barely 17. He’s an amazing kid,” said Mrs. Stevens.

The music society has long fostered youthful musical talent on the Island. In addition to awarding musical scholarships to Vineyard students, they were also one of the first supporters of the all-Island elementary strings program.

Monday night brings the concert that will feature the world premier of Four Soliloquies, with an encore performance on Tuesday at the Chilmark Community Center.

On July 19 and 20, Julliard flute professor Carol Wincenc, who is also celebrating a 40th anniversary, as a flutist, will lead a dynamic mix of pieces that will culminate with a Porgy and Bess number from George Gershwin. Ms. Wincenc will also play a new piece written especially for her. “She is just an astonishing person. She is one of the world’s greatest flute players, no doubt about it,” said Mrs. Stevens.

July 26 and 27 will bring a concert dedicated to celebrating the 200th birthdays of composers Fredric Chopin and Robert Schumann. The group of musicians is a mix of international and American talent.

The following week, on Aug. 2 and 3, the Schubert Trout Quintet will perform a concert aptly titled Something Fishy about Schubert. The music will be a mix of stringed instruments including the violin, viola and cello, with the addition of a double-bass and Mrs. Steven’s piano (she will perform in all concerts throughout the summer).

The series will culminate this year with a concert that Mrs. Stevens expects to be truly extraordinary. The performing quintet includes her son, horn player Paul Stevens. And the music is sure to cause a stir.

“[Composer] Peter Schickele has been writing music for ages, making fun — not in a cheap way, but really humorous — of every composer,” said Mrs. Stevens. He recently won a Grammy for a piece called the Horse Opera, which will be performed at the final concert. “Every instrument is a character in the opera,” said Mrs. Stevens. “It’s a lighthearted look at music.”

And though Mr. Schickele can’t make it to the concert for health reasons, the music society recently confirmed that another celebrity musician has signed on to participate; Livingston Taylor will narrate.

One of the most extraordinary things about the chamber music society is that they have continually offered Islanders exposure to the sharpest musical talent in the world, and have done it in the most intimate settings available. The concert halls in the Whaling Church and the community center are small, and friendships between music lovers and performers are fostered each and every year. Perhaps it’s because so many of the musicians are essentially hand-picked by Mrs. Stevens herself.

“Almost everybody who comes here is a friend of mine. I know them. It’s not like they’re just somebody I picked out of a catalog,” she said. “We’ve either worked together, or recorded together, or done something together. That’s why it’s kind of special.”

The Montagnana Trio Redux performs on Monday, July 12, at the Whaling Church and Tuesday, July 13, at the Chilmark Community Center, both at 8 p.m.. Tickets are $30 for adults; students are free with identification.