Guide to Philadelphia music groups

Bookmark this article: One man's subjective guide
to 32 Philadelphia classical music groups

TOM PURDOM

As the title says, what follows is my subjective, highly personal guide to the music series currently offered in Philadelphia. My evaluations, of course, are those of a fallible human whose tastes may not coincide with your own. On the other hand, I have listened to every organization I discuss here. In most seasons, in fact, I listen to the vast majority of them several times— and I’ve been doing that ever since I first started writing about Philadelphia music more than 18 years ago. I’ve included links to all the groups that have websites, so you can hop directly to their site and get the latest information on schedules and prices direct from the source.

I have mostly tried to tell you what these groups play rather than how well they play it. The quality of the musicianship really isn’t an issue. I wouldn’t be going to concerts as much as I do if it were. Critics don’t get paid that much. We have three pools of musicians in Philadelphia-- the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the remarkable corps of freelancers that fills most of the seats in the Pennsylvania Ballet and Opera Company orchestras. Musicians from all three groups create the sounds you hear at chamber music, new music, and other musical events throughout the region. Some of them are better than others, obviously, but they are all the survivors of a grueling, highly competitive selection process.

FULL ORCHESTRAS

Philadelphia Orchestra. We Philadelphians have two music organizations that are world-class in the true sense of the word— i.e., you must canvass the globe to find their peers. The Curtis Institute of Music is one, and the Philadelphia Orchestra is, of course, the other. The Orchestra presents more than 30 programs a year, repeating most programs three or four times, and its concert schedule is a good mix of core classics, lesser known works that deserve to be heard now and then, and some new music. The Orchestra’s marketing department has come up with a basket of subscription plans, including a free-form option that lets you create your own personalized four-concert subscription series. The Orchestra also offers Family Concerts for ages 6-12, the Sound All Around series for the 3-5 set, inexpensive short concerts for novices who want to give classical music a try, pre-concert lectures before all subscription concerts, Meet and Mingles after certain concerts, last minute ultra-cheap tickets for students, a similar almost-as-cheap plan for members of the general audience, and special event concerts such as the annual Glorious Sound of Christmas program. They are, in short, doing everything they can to get you to come.

Kimmel Center Great Orchestras On Tour. Touring orchestras used to skip Philadelphia. The Academy of Music was the city’s only suitable venue, and it was one of the most heavily booked concert halls in the U.S. Since the Kimmel Center opened in 2001, Philadelphians can compare other major orchestras with our home team. The Kimmel Center Presents series brings four major orchestras to the city every season. Recent visitors have included orchestras from Japan, Bavaria, Leipzig, and an island located approximately ninety miles north of Philadelphia. Touring orchestras tend to play safe, conservative programs, in my opinion, but the Kimmel schedule usually includes at least one must-hear item, such as a major Mahler symphony.

Curtis Institute Orchestra. The Curtis Orchestra’s three concerts are inexpensive events that attract most of Philadelphia’s knowledgeable music enthusiasts. They’re led by major conductors, and the repertoire can be surprisingly adventurous. The musicians are young but enthusiastic; they rehearse for weeks before each concert (major orchestras like the Philadelphians usually rehearse only two or three times); and they’re selected from the 800 applicants, from all over the world, who audition each year for the 40 vacancies available in a world famous, tuition-free school (its total enrollment is a select 169).


CHAMBER ORCHESTRAS

A chamber orchestra consists of some 15 to 30 instruments (compared to 100 or more in a full orchestra). Most of the music composed before the early 19th Century was actually written for orchestras about that size, which were the full-sized orchestras of their time.

Chamber Orchestra Of Philadelphia. The Chamber Orchestra (originally called Concerto Soloists), founded in 1964 by conductor Marc Mostovoy, has played a major role in Philadelphia’s music scene for most of its existence. Today it’s moving in new directions under Mostovoy’s youthful successor, pianist-conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn. Its new home in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater is an ideal setting for a small orchestra. Mozart, Haydn and the Baroque masters form the core of the chamber orchestra repertoire, but Solzhenitsyn frequently expands his forces and leads lively smaller-orchestra performances of Beethoven and Schubert. Twentieth-Century music occupies a prominent position in the programming; world premieres are common; and Solzhenitsyn has a talent for spotting younger guest stars.

Orchestra 2001. When James Freeman founded Orchestra 2001 in 1988, he decreed that it would play 20th Century music— an inspired idea, since many “new music” organizations limit themselves to the avant-garde. Freeman’s approach enabled Orchestra 2001 to program highly experimental music along with more conventional works by composers like Copland, Vaughan Williams and Shostakovich. With the coming of the new century, it expanded its scope to include 21st Century music. If you don’t think you like new music, you’ll probably be surprised by the vitality and range of Orchestra 2001’s programs. You won’t like all of Freeman’s choices, but there’s a good chance you’ll like most of them. And he never schedules anything that makes you feel he’s deliberately trying to annoy you.

New Philadelphia Classical Symphony. Karl Middleman, this orchestra’s director, likes to create interesting happenings. When he ran the original Classical Symphony a few years ago, he concentrated on Baroque music— usually with period instruments— and surrounded his programs with 18th-Century meals, minuet lessons, recreations of court balls, and other activities that put the music in context. The New Classical Symphony covers a broader range of periods, but Middleman still keeps things lively with extra-musical events like a Victorian tea, specially commissioned world premieres and high-profile local soloists like Philadelphia Orchestra oboist Richard Woodhams.

Amadeus Ensemble. I’m placing the Amadeus Ensemble under chamber orchestras, but it’s actually a chorus and orchestra. It could be pigeonholed under early music, too, since it frequently presents period instrument concerts. Its programs include fully staged Baroque operas accompanied by period instruments, an annual Baroque-style Messiah, a Good Friday concert devoted to a liturgical masterpiece such as Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and concerts that cover the full range of instrumental and choral music, from Mozart to the present. Its venues include the Kimmel Center and suburban locations such as Doylesford Abbey. Its enterprising conductor, Valentin Radu, has recruited a crew of top regional instrumentalists and vocalists.


CHORAL MUSIC

Philadelphia choral enthusiasts can feast on the work of one professional chorus (the Philadelphia Singers) and several volunteer chorales. In a professional chorus, the vocalists are paid for their labors and have received the same sort of rigorous training professional instrumentalists endure. You can’t see the techniques that vocalists apply, since most of the action takes place inside their bodies, but their instrument requires a technical mastery that’s just as demanding as the visible mastery displayed by violinists and pianists. Most professional singers have also survived music school auditions in which the quality of their voices was probably compared with several hundred other applicants.
In a volunteer chorus, unpaid choristers sing major works under a professional director’s baton, often with professional soloists, professional musicians to provide the accompaniment, and the aid of a few “ringers” (i.e., paid professionals). The volunteer choruses still provide most of the choral music performed in Philadelphia. The choristers may work gratis, but they’re usually selected through a competitive audition process, and most of them have received some vocal training, either in private lessons or through previous experience with high school or college choruses.

Philadelphia Singers. This chorus of some 32 voices is one of the few professional choruses in the U.S.— that is, a chorus in which every member possesses a voice that has been trained to professional standards. Its annual "Christmas on Logan Square" concert, broadcast nationwide on National Public Radio, has become a Philadelphia tradition. The core ensemble can be expanded to more than 200 voices with the addition of the volunteers who comprise the Philadelphia Singers Chorale. In that form, it provides the Philadelphia Orchestra with a fit partner for major works such as Beethoven's Ninth and Mahler's Resurrection Symphony.

Choral Arts Society. Philadelphia has a long tradition of volunteer choruses— organizations of volunteer choristers singing major works under the baton of a professional conductor, often with professional soloists and professional musicians. The volunteer choruses were the city's only choruses until Michael Korn founded the Philadelphia Singers in 1972, and they still make a major contribution to our musical season. The Choral Arts Society has had its ups and downs over the years, but it is definitely going through an up period at present. Its new director, Matthew Glandorf, employs some interesting approaches to staging and programming, and our local volunteers seem to have decided he's a good person to sing with.

Mendelssohn Club. Philadelphia's oldest volunteer chorus was founded in 1874. Its current director, Alan Harler, leads it with a grace and refinement that is worthy of a great tradition. The repertoire runs the gamut from new music to epic classics like Mendelssohn's Elijah. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is its regular partner when it needs an orchestra accompaniment, and the Mendelssohn Club also works with Orchestra 2001 and leading Philadelphia organists. Its annual Christmas concert is a wonderful example of a Philadelphia specialty— the combination of high art and neighborhood intimacy.

Music Group Of Philadelphia. The Music Group is led by Sean Deibler, a clarinetist, vocalist, and conductor with an international schedule. Deibler founded the Choral Arts Society (above) and led it until 1996. The Music Group, which he also founded, is an older, smaller chorus dedicated to performing new music and less familiar works. The less familiar works can come from any period and Deibler introduces everything with witty, informative comments. A convivial post-concert reception follows every concert. The group's annual holiday program is a package of Christmas surprises.

Philadelphia Chamber Chorus. The Philadelphia Chamber Chorus is a volunteer chorus of approximately 50 voices. It's been performing for more than 50 years and its repertoire spans the whole range of vocal music, from Renaissance madrigals to epic choral works.

Singing City. At its founding in 1948, this was one of the first racially integrated volunteer choruses in the U.S. Singing City has retained its emphasis on the communal power of music with programs that focus on social issues [such as?], collaborations with regional high school and children's choirs, an annual Prize for Young Composers, and a holiday season Messiah sing-in at the Kimmel Center.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. The largest presenter of chamber music in the U.S.-- and probably the lowest average ticket price, too. PCMS presents almost 50 programs a season in venues that include the Kimmel Center, the Pennsylvania Convention Center's specially modified auditorium, and Curtis. Its season schedule includes concerts by most of the star ensembles of the chamber music circuit, such as the Guarneri and Julliard string quartets, and more than 20 recitals by leading pianists, violinists, and vocalists. Its Musicians from Marlboro concerts present ensembles composed of master musicians and young up-and-comers who play together at the famous Marlboro Festival in Vermont. Other PCMS programs draw on the huge pool of talent based in the Philadelphia region. Its top ticket price is $22; some events cost less; and subscribers get a bigger break.

Astral Artistic Services. A unique Philadelphia phenomenon. Astral helps carefully selected young musicians launch careers as soloists and chamber players by offering them business advice, introductions to conductors and managers, and showcase appearances in the popular "Astral Presents" concert series in Philadelphia, New York, and other U.S. cities. Astral's Philadelphia programs have become a major attraction for local connoisseurs— a chance to hear some of the most talented young musicians in the country at prices that seem almost trivial by most standards.

1807 and Friends. One of the region's venerable chamber music series. Its history goes back almost 30 years, to a group of young musicians who played outdoors on Chestnut Street and congregated in an apartment at 1807 Sansom. Today, the core of the group is the Wister Quartet-- four veteran Philadelphia Orchestra players [let's identify them] who are enthusiastic chamber players. The other Friends include Orchestra wind and string players, guitarist-composer Allen Krantz, and pianists Marcantonio Barone and Natalie Zhu. 1807 concerts take place in a perfect setting for chamber music: the small, intimate theater of the Academy of Vocal Arts on Spruce Street.

Amerita Chamber Players. Amerita was founded in the 1950s to introduce Italian Baroque music to Philadelphia at a time when Vivaldi and his contemporaries were still considered arcane. The core ensemble is a group of chamber enthusiasts from the Philadelphia Orchestra string sections (with violinist Davyd Boothe pursuing his alternate vocation as a harpsichordist and witty on-stage commentator). Their guests include trumpeters, flutists, guitarists, oboists, and all the other musicians who play Baroque instruments. Concerts are free, thanks to the largesse of the group's sponsor, the America-Italy society.

Dolce Suono Chamber Series. One of the liveliest chamber series in the city. It's the brainchild of young flutist Mimi Stillman— the youngest wind player ever accepted at Curtis. Ms. Stillman is currently combining an active music career with work on a Ph.D. in history at Penn. For Dolce Suono she has recruited some of the best younger musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra for a series that combines pre-concert lectures with imaginative wide-ranging programming. The concerts take place in attractive settings, such as the rare books room of Penn's Van Pelt Library, and there is no admission charge. Email contact: DolceSounoSeries@aolcom

Lyric Fest Art Song Series. Art song is probably the least popular of all the music genres. Mezzo soprano Suzanne DuPlantis and her two colleagues, soprano Randi Marrazzo and pianist Laura Ward, recognize the need for a little audience cultivation. The Lyric Fest series is their highly successful attempt to prove an art song concert can be just as entertaining as a good movie. Each concert features a troop of local vocalists, and the programs are usually arranged around themes such as Valentine's Day, Halloween, war and peace, or the life of a particular composer. They're happy to introduce comedy and imaginative bits of staging and their programs, like most art song concerts, can include cabaret songs and Broadway show tunes in addition to songs by European and American classical composers.

Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. This ensemble is composed of senior Philadelphia Orchestra musicians. They specialize in pieces that employ interesting combinations of winds, strings, piano and harp. They present three concerts a year, each staged twice: first on a Friday evening, then on the following Sunday afternoon. Their current venue, Old Pine Church at Fourth and Pine, enjoys some of the purest acoustics in the city. Every concert includes a pleasant reception with plenty of opportunity to talk to the musicians.

Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series

. For the musicians, this group provides an opportunity to work with a different type of music. For the audience, it's a chance to hear music played by perfumers who approach their work with the freshness and zest of professionals seizing the opportunity to tackle something different. The variety of many of the programs is a major plus. The Orchestra can call on musicians from every section and field a different mix of instruments for every piece. You can even hear bass players and tuba players digging into scores that spotlight their instruments.

EARLY MUSIC

"Early music" is the catchall term for the music of the Renaissance (roughly 1400-1600) and Baroque (roughly 1600-1750). Most early music organizations nowadays play on "period instruments"— the instruments actually used when the music was written. Early music musicians must study the styles and performance practices of their periods, in addition to mastering the specialized techniques required by instruments such as the harpsichord, the Baroque violin, and the bewildering variety of noisemakers played in the Renaissance.

American Society Of Ancient Instruments. oldest period instrument organization in the U.S., founded in 1929, in the early days of the early music movement. The group's primary contribution to Philadelphia's music scene is a three-concert festival it holds on three Sundays in spring. Its core is an ensemble of five viols and a harpsichord. Some of the most beautiful music ever written was composed for the viols-- the older cousins of the violin family— and the ASAI spring festival is one of your best chances to hear it.

Philomel. Philomel plays Baroque music on Baroque instruments such as the harpsichord, the wooden flute, and the short-necked, nasal Baroque violin. They've been doing this since 1976 and they can apply a formidable knowledge of the styles and performance practices in vogue between 1600 and 1750. Philomel concerts can range in size from chamber ensembles to orchestras of about a dozen pieces. Recently, they've launched a salon series that recreates the informal settings in which much Baroque music was actually performed. The salon concerts take place in historical venues such as Carpenter's Hall, and the amenities include food and wine.

Piffaro: The Philadelphia Renaissance Band. Piffaro started life in 1980 as the Philadelphia Renaissance Wind Band. They changed their name, at the request of the recording company, when they acquired a recording contract with Deutsche Gramophone. Piffaro plays Renaissance music on krumhorns, sacbuts, recorders, dulcians, pipe and tabor, lutes, and all the rest of the arsenal of instruments actually used in their period. The group frequently joins forces with vocalists and string ensembles, and they like to create programs that combine music with reenactments of events such as weddings and courtly festivities. Their annual Christmas concert is one of the gems of Philadelphia's busy holiday music season.

Tempesta Di Mare. Philadelphia's youngest period instrument organization became a major contribution to the music scene as soon as it started operating in 2002. Its co-directors are Gwyn Roberts (a Baroque flutist and the director of Penn's early music program) and a renowned lutenist, Richard Stone. Tempesta di Mare presents several admission-free concerts each season, to help attract new audiences to the special pleasures of live concerts. Tempesta has assembled a larger orchestra than the city's other Baroque groups, partly by recruiting outside the region, and it can play music that calls for larger forces, including fully staged Baroque operas.

Vox Renaissance Consort. The Vox Renaissance Consort is a small chorus— about 16 voices-- that sings Renaissance music in Renaissance costume. That could be a shallow trick in the wrong hands, but Vox director Valentin Radu has assembled some first-rate vocalists and conducts the group's concerts with a solid understanding of the style and special requirements of Renaissance music. The result can be magical. The Vox Christmas concert is a jewel— a visit to a court gala in Castle Somewhere. Vox forms the core of the Amadeus Ensemble choir (see chamber orchestras, above).

MUSIC SCHOOLS

Philadelphia's three music schools could keep a dedicated concertgoer busy all by themselves. The music school opera season is one of the city's treasures. The three schools put on about ten operas altogether, all professionally mounted and directed.

Academy of Vocal Arts. The Academy of Vocal Arts has been a powerhouse on the national opera scene since 1933. Like Curtis, it is a tuition-free school that attracts first-class students from all over the world. Its performance schedule includes fully staged operas, an art song recital series, and an annual concert of religious music that has become one of the most popular events of the Philadelphia music season.

Curtis Institute Of Music. One of the city's true world-class institutions. Its tuition-free policy has been attracting high-powered students (Leonard Bernstein, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, half the Philadelphia Orchestra) from all over the world since it was founded in 1924. Its three-nights-a-week free student recital series is a favorite haunt of the city's musical cognoscenti. The Curtis concert schedule also includes an alumni recital series, a faculty recital series, and a family concert series sponsored by PECO, in addition to the orchestra and opera series.

Temple University Esther Boyer College Of Music. Temple University's Rock Hall (named for benefactor Milton Rock) is a classy place to hear music. It's located right on the Columbia Avenue subway stop, so it's more convenient than it may seem. Temple concerts also take place in other local halls, including the Kimmel Center. The schedule includes operas, orchestra concerts, recitals, new music, early music, chamber music, choral music, and recitals by a faculty that includes some of the leading musicians and composers in the region.

NEW MUSIC

There was a time when contemporary American composers turned out the kind of stuff we now call "academic music." Orchestras would program it because they felt they should include new music in their schedules and audiences would endure it in rigid silence and give the composer a lukewarm round of applause when he took his bow. That era has come to merciful end. Contemporary composers are trying to reach the audience halfway, and audiences are responding with visible enthusiasm. Premieres and performances of recent music are a regular feature of most of the concert series held in Philadelphia, including the Philadelphia Orchestra subscription concerts and the programs offered by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Even early music ensembles occasionally schedule a new piece written for period instruments.

Network for New Music. Network for New Music and Orchestra 2001 are the major local presenters of new music concerts. As noted above, Orchestra 2001 also plays older music of all types created during the twentieth century. Network for New Music specializes in commissioning and performing new chamber music by living composers. It fulfills its mission with a flair that has attracted guest performers as renowned as Peter Serkin and Christoph Echenbach. Its ensemble includes leading musicians from most sections of the Philadelphia Orchestra and top names from the city's remarkable corps of freelance musicians.

Chamber Music Now. Chamber Music Now is a new series organized by a group of young composers and musicians. Its programs include rock-influenced music, multi-media experiments, and music that addresses current political and social issues.