Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble welcomes top soloists

Composers have produced some of their most appealing works when they composed quintets that combine the string quartet with a popular solo instrument. For their January concert, the venerable Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble will present three examples of the genre, with leading Philadelphia Orchestra members playing the fifth instrument. Orchestra pianist Kiyoko Takeuti will play the title role in Brahms’ big, emotional quintet for piano and string quartet. Former Associate Principal Clarinetist Donald Montanaro will do the honors in one of the top pieces in the clarinet repertoire — Carl Maria von Weber’s 1811 Quintet for Clarinet and Strings. Associate Principal Flutist David Cramer will add his distinctive tone to a Theme and Variations by Amy Beach, an American composer whose work has been revived in the last 20 years, as musicologists have responded to some well-justified prodding and taken a closer took at women composers.

January 31, 8pm and February 2, 2pm, at Old Pine Street Church, 412 Pine Street, Philadelphia. $25, $5 student (with ID). 215-542-4890. www.pceconcerts.org

Image: Composer Amy Beach