Philadelphia area concert-goers are drinking from a firehose this week with the amount of amazing offerings in this fall concert season. We could not possibly mention everything here, which is why you won’t see a nod to The Comet / Poppea at the Curtis Opera Theater, sold out for all three of its performances this weekend. However, there’s still a wide variety of things to choose from below. As always, if you think we left something out, feel free to let us know.
Spotlight: We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together — Friday through Nov. 9, FringeArts
A debate about whether the arts scene in Philadelphia is progressive and exciting enough can be quickly settled when considering the offering this week by FringeArts. Back in 2020, they received a $360,000 grant from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage to produce We Have Gone As Far As We Can Together. It has been characterized as a “modular opera,” a “ritual release,” and a “sonic conversation.” The conversation itself is a unique participatory experience between the audience and performers: a professional choir is scattered throughout the audience. As the performance unfolds they sing a series of mantras, and encourage the audience members to directly join in with them in making music.
The actual content matter of the work is a bit dark and macabre, just in time for the days after Halloween. Quotes to get you in the mood from the FringeArts website read: “Loss has made a tenuous ‘we’ of us all” (Judith Butler), and “We begin in the dark and death is the birth of us.” The musical material is inspired and directly taken from artists like Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, and composers Butch Morris and Pauline Oliveros. The aforementioned participatory aspects of the event are an ode to non-Western traditions from Vedic and Sufi cultures.
As for the theme, We Have Gone As Far As Can Together is based on the ancient Greek poet, Thespis, considered to be the world’s first actor. Here he is reimagined as Helga, a Black woman. The production is a collaboration between some heavyweights in the industry: Helga Davis, Charlotte Brathwaite, Sunder Ganglani and Cauleen Smith, with musicians Alexis Marcelo, Anaïs Maviel, Tarus Mateen, Jade Hicks, and a choir comprised of local Philadelphians. If you dare to attend, make sure to do your vocal warmups in the shower the morning of the show.
Nov. 1, 2, and 7-9 at 7:30 p.m., FringeArts, 140 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, $15 to $25; tickets and information.
Candlelight Open Air: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics — Monday, Bok Building
If you’re still looking for an event that will get you into the Halloween spirit, head over to the Bok building for a candlelit evening of spooky classical pops music. A string ensemble will perform classics such as Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette, as well as themes from Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice and Stranger Things. If you’ve never made a trip to the Bok Building, this is as good of an excuse as ever. The building was built in 1936 as a vocational high school, and in 2014 was transformed into a space housing over 200 artists, makers, entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Most importantly, there’s an award-winning rooftop bar where you can go and grab a drink before and after one of the two shows.
Oct. 28 at 6:30 and 9 p.m., Bok, 1901 South 9th Street, $35 to $55; tickets and information.
Jonathan Biss — Friday, Perelman Theater
The classical music scene at large in Philadelphia should be proud to call Jonathan Biss a local resident. His upcoming concert at the Perelman Theater is akin to one of Philly’s major sports teams playing a home playoff game. He’ll use this home-field advantage to present a tricky program with mostly Schubert, and a PCMS co-commission of a new work by composer Alvin Singleton. In order to pull off a program with some of the most standard repertoire paired with something highly experimental, you need a pianist who is a deep thinker, and gives attention to every detail in the music. Biss is absolutely the right person for the job. His aim with the program is to showcase how a contemporary work can rightfully stand up to a titan such as Franz Schubert. Be sure to catch Jonathan Biss this week before he heads out of town for the next round of the playoffs: a championship tour of concerts across three different continents.
Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, purchase tickets by calling 215-569-8080 or emailing boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org; more information.
Bowerbird: Arcana New Music Ensemble and Daedalus Quartet — Saturday, University Lutheran
Bowerbird is an organization dedicated to presenting events centered around experimental works across many disciplines of performing arts. They’re presenting a concert of chamber works by composer George Walker, and have a stacked lineup of performers to accept the challenge. Walker, who lived until 2018, was a trailblazer throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries as a Black classical musician. Among other distinctions, he was the first Black artist to receive a Pulitzer Prize in music, in 1996. This program itself offers chamber works by Walker which are lesser known, but absolutely deserve our attention. It includes pieces for piano solo, and piano with clarinet and voice performed by pianist David Hughes and other local musicians. The grand finale is his First String Quartet performed by the Daedalus Quartet, who will be sure to catch your attention from their very first note. All this takes place at an intimate venue in West Philly: University Lutheran Church.
Nov. 1 at 8 p.m., University Lutheran, 3637 Chestnut Street, $15-$25; tickets and information.
Zakir Hussain and Rahul Sharma — Nov. 3, Zellerbach Theater
Fanfare is a newsletter designed to direct attention towards concerts of classical music. I can safely remain within this category by mentioning an upcoming concert of one of the greatest tabla players of all time: Zakir Hussain. Tabla are small drums played with fingers and hands that come from the tradition of Indian classical music. Hussain gained international fame after appearing on George Harrison’s 1973 Album Living in the Material World, and since then has spent decades as a classically trained Indian musician who breaks barriers between many genres. At 73, he still maintains a fierce touring schedule. For this leg he’s joined by Rahul Sharma, who plays the santoor, a traditional Indian hammered dulcimer. Hussain’s exuberance both as a drummer and person are apparent during every moment of his performances, and it will make for an evening certain to not disappoint.
Nov. 3 at 7 p.m., Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, $46 to $109; tickets and information.
