Coming up in Philly music: War and conquest, love and loss

The Chestnut Street Singers have a talent for producing edgy programs. Their next concert, Where the Truth Lies, focuses on songs that tell stories, starting with songs about colonialism, warfare, conquest, and loss. In the second half, they’ll turn to stories about love and devotion, with some “musings” about the way stories take shape. The composers on the list include unfamiliar names like Dave Trumbore along with heavyweights like Maurice Ravel, Gustav Holst, and Benjamin Britten.

The Britten piece will be one of his best works: his "Hymn to St. Cecilia," with a text by a major 20th-century poet, Britten’s friend W.H. Auden. In the Boosey & Hawkes music catalog, the "Hymn to St. Cecilia" receives a difficulty rating of four (with five being the most difficult). The publishers call it “a challenging work which should not be undertaken lightly.” The Chestnut Street Singers presented their first concert in 2010, and you could apply that description to most of the programs they’ve presented since they added their distinctive voice to the Philadelphia music scene.

The Chestnut Street Singers will present Exploring Storytelling Through Song: Where the Truth Lies in two Philadelphia concerts: Saturday, March 24, at Historic St. George’s Methodist Church (235 N. 4th Street), and on Sunday, March 25, at 3pm at the First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut Street). Both concerts are pay-what-you-wish. Donations by cash, card, or check will be accepted at the door.