Your classical music guide to seven lively days in May

On Saturday, May 16 at 7pm, one of the musical switch hitters in our region will present a tour de force. Michal Schmidt will hop between the cello and the piano in a program devoted to Beethoven’s five cello sonatas. She’ll play the cello in three of them, with three different pianists playing the accompaniments. Then she’ll play the piano in the other two, with two different cellists playing the cello roles. The show, “Six 4 Five, Six Musicians Perform Beethoven’s Five Cello Sonatas,” is coming to the Ethical Society of Philadelphia, 1906 Rittenhouse Square. Tickets ($15-$20) are available at the door.

That sounds like a spectacular combination of high art and high-wire act, but it’s only one of the events some of our local music organizations have scheduled during an exceptionally busy week. Here’s a quick rundown on five other events that should appeal to anyone who’s looking for a satisfying, relatively inexpensive evening out.

Verdi, Bach, Debussy, and more

Monday, May 11 at 7:30pm: 1807 & Friends. The Wister Quartet presents a program that studiously avoids the core of the string quartet repertory. Giuseppe Verdi’s only instrumental chamber work forms the centerpiece. The other items include five “novelettes” by Russia’s Alexander Glazunov and two pieces based on Indian songs by America’s Charles Tomlinson Griffes. This show is coming to the Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. Tickets ($17) are available online and at the door.

Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm: Bach@7. The Bach Festival presents one of its unique one-hour 7pm concerts, featuring a Bach cantata based on Luther’s Easter hymn, an Alleluia by contemporary choral composer Eric Whitacre, and a Baroque sonata on the Resurrection. The music will be followed, as usual, by an exceptionally classy wine and goodies reception. The show is coming to St. Clement’s Church, 20th and Appletree Streets, Philadelphia. It’s “pay what you wish” with a $20 recommended donation. For more information, visit www.choralarts.com.

Thursday, May 14 at 5:30pm: Dolce Suono Ensemble. A free happy hour event. Flutist Mimi Stillman and guitarist Gideon Whitehead play music by Debussy and Toru Takemitsu, in conjunction with the gallery exhibit A Sense of Place: Modern Japanese Prints. The show is coming to the Fisher Fine Arts Library of the Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania, 220 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia (enter from the Penn quad, just south of 34th and Walnut). Admission is free. For more info, call 267-252-1803 or visit www.dolcesuono.com.

The Renaissance and singing birds

May 15-17: Piffaro. Philadelphia’s Renaissance Band joins Philadelphia’s Renaissance vocal quartet, The Laughing Bird, in a salute to the 500th birthday of the Renaissance composer who jump-started the Baroque era. The festivities will include a flurry of Cipriano de Rore’s greatest vocal works, the premiere of a new work in the birthday boy’s honor, and a post-concert birthday cake. The shows are coming to the Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia at 8pm on Friday, May 15; the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, on Saturday, May 16 at 8pm; and to Christ Church Christiana Hundred in Wilmington on Sunday, May 17 at 3pm. Tickets ($15-$40) are available online and at the door.

Sunday, May 17 at 5pm: The Chestnut Street Singers. This small “cooperative chorus” has been turning out some of the most interesting programs I’ve attended. Their concert celebrating their fifth anniversary is titled As Birds Do Sing, and that’s all the information they’ve given out. But don’t let the lack of intel keep you away. They haven’t produced a dull concert yet. The show is coming to First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Admission is free, with donations accepted. For more information, visit www.chestnutstreetsingers.org.