Coming up in Philly music: Astral Artists at 25

Astral Artists has been a factor in the music world since it began life as a temporary project with a multiyear grant. Vera Wilson and her colleagues continued the project when the grant ended and transformed it into an enduring organization with a national reputation. In the last 25 years, Astral has provided career guidance and performance opportunities to promising young musicians, whose careers have usually confirmed the accuracy of Astral’s selection process. Astral will celebrate the close of its 25th season with a program that features three of the young musicians on its current roster playing beside two stars who have benefited from its efforts in the past.

The Astral alumni on the program are violinist Soovin Kim and clarinetist Igor Begelman. The three pieces on the program include two popular classics with key roles for both of them: Carl Maria von Weber’s quintet for clarinet and string quartet; and Dvorák’s exuberant second quintet for piano and string quartet.

Astral Artists will present ENCORE!, its 25th anniversary concert, on Saturday, April 21, at 7:30pm at Church of the Holy Trinity (Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia). Tickets are $22 ($20 for seniors and $5 for students age 30 and under with I.D.) and they’re available online and at the door.