Coming up in Philly music: Mozart, jazz, and Barney Frank

Can a long career in the United States Congress prepare you for a narration gig in a jazz piece? Former congressman Barney Frank will be the narrator when Chamber Orchestra FIRST EDITIONS presents a modern classic, Gunther Schiller’s 1962 "Journey into Jazz."

Chamber Orchestra FIRST EDITIONS is the latest brainchild of James Freeman, the founding director of Philadelphia’s modern music organization, Orchestra 2001. Every FIRST EDITIONS concert combines modern works with pieces from Mozart’s earlier years. For the kickoff for the group’s third season, Freeman and associate conductor Heidi Jacobs will explore the melding of classical music and jazz. The other modern item on the card will be the premiere of a piece for jazz quintet and string orchestra by drummer Gabriel Globus-Hoenich. Mozart will contribute his second piano concerto, with pianist Andrew Hauze as soloist, and his Symphony No. 29, which he wrote when he was 18. Frank and the musicians will engage in a half-hour discussion before each performance.

Chamber Orchestra FIRST EDITIONS will present Journey from Mozart to Jazz on October 6 at 8pm at Swarthmore College’s Lang Concert Hall; October 7 at 3pm at Haverford College’s Marshall Auditorium; and October 8 at 3pm at the Kimmel’s Perelman Theater. The two college performances are free. Tickets for the Perelman Theater performance are $25 ($20 for seniors and $10 for students) and they’re available online, by calling 215-893-1999, and at the door.