Sitar and sarod stars, seashells, and more to do this weekend

Happenings in Philly this weekend include beautiful sights and sounds from India, West Africa, and our own city, plus oceans all over the world.

Did you know the legendary Curtis Institute offers recitals three nights a week during the school year? The latest Student Recital Series got started last week, and you can catch the next one on Friday at 8pm at the Curtis’s Field Concert Hall. You’ll hear pianists Bolai Cao and Ying Li play Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. The show is free and no tickets are required. Seating is first come, first served, so arrive early.

Since 1924, Curtis has been training world-class musicians who have gone on to prestigious international careers. So when you listen in on the students now, you very likely are hearing the classical-music stars of years to come. The exceptional youngsters play solo and chamber works, often alongside world-renowned faculty and guests. And if you want to check it out at home, you can access an archive of HD performance videos as well as livestreamed recitals on Friday nights through Curtis’s YouTube channel.

Strings of Harmony

Meanwhile, over on South Street, a pair of Indian musical stars who are also brothers land in town for one night only. The Mohan Brothers (Aayush on the sarod; Lakshay on the sitar) are on their Strings of Harmony U.S. tour (their second American tour). The concert ($20 to $25) comes to the Arts Bank on Friday at 7:30pm. The Arts Bank theater and restrooms are accessible by an elevator.

Once a popular musical form pioneered by Indian music icon Ravi Shankar (whose foundation launched the Mohans’ first U.S. tour), sarod/sitar duets (or jugalbandi) are now rare, but the brothers are bringing the art form back. Their rich, distinctive, and immersive sound is doubly worth the time because they never play the same concert twice: with consummate style and cooperation, each performance is improvised in real time based on a single melody the brothers choose. You can get a preview of their sound here.

Crafting Community: Africa to America

On Saturday morning, the African American Museum in Philadelphia and Temple Contemporary partner for a processional and celebration open to people of all backgrounds, spotlighting the work and voices of local black women artists. Crafting Community: Africa to America came out of ceramic artist Yinka Orafidiya’s recent trip to West Africa, where she studied under female master potters in Ghana.

Orafidiya likes to use her art for social connections, healing, and empowerment. She brought her Ghanaian experience home by inviting black women in the Philly area to make clay vessels by hand alongside her, working collaboratively so that each piece comes from the touch of multiple people. At 9:30am on Saturday, a Crafting Community procession will gather at Temple Contemporary, and make the three-mile walk to AAMP, carrying the vessels that grew out of the project. Drummers organized by Latriece Branson and Drum Like a Lady will accompany the walk. Doors at AAMP will open at 10am, for a free community celebration and conversation. AAMP is accessible for people with mobility challenges.

Philadelphia Shell Show

Fans of nature’s own art forms can head to the Academy of Natural Sciences this weekend for the annual Philadelphia Shell Show, presented in partnership with the Philadelphia Shell Club. This show is the largest of its kind in the Northeast and runs Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. It’s included with regular museum admission.

Peruse gorgeous mollusk displays from collectors, amateur scientists, and artists and check out an international shell market, including jewelry, books, and more. Philadelphia antique craft collector John Whitenight will offer a talk titled “The History of the Art of Shell Work” at 2pm on both days and share highlights of his own collection. And if you like to learn about shells, Philadelphia Shell Club members and scientists from the Academy’s malacology department (which boasts 10 million shells) are ready for your questions. The Academy of Natural Sciences has a ground-floor wheelchair-accessible entrance on 19th Street, with elevator access to all floors and ADA-compliant restrooms.

And if you ARE looking for Halloween-themed events this weekend, don’t miss our special roundup!