A new opera about a historic pilot, a new Chopin waltz, rare Ukrainian scores, and a day with Philadelphia’s young musicians are among this week’s delights.
Spotlight: Fearless — Friday and Sunday, The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE
Imagine wanting to be a pilot in World War II, but facing two obstacles: first, you’re a woman, and second, you’re Asian-American. In 1943, Hazel Ying Lee ignored the skeptics and joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), a group of civilian female pilots who played a crucial role in the war. Now, composer and librettist Derrick Wang has adapted Lee’s story to create Fearless, which will receive its world premiere by Opera Delaware. This is Wang’s third collaboration with the company, following his opera Scalia/Ginsburg (2019) and his completion of Puccini’s Turandot in 2024.
May 16 at 7:30 p.m. and May 18 at 2 p.m., Grand Opera House, 818 North King Street, Wilmington, DE, $29 to $109; tickets and information.
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute — Saturday, Riely Theatre, Bryn Mawr, and Salvation Army Philadelphia Kroc Center
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute is tirelessly devoted to giving a leg up to musicians who will shape the future. On Saturday you’ll have several chances to see what they’re up to. Show up at 11 a.m. in Bryn Mawr for the inaugural annual festival outing of the Philadelphia Youth Concert Band, conducted by Harley Givler. Then have lunch and adjourn to the Salvation Army Philadelphia Kroc Center at 3 p.m. for Tune Up Philly and the Young Musicians Debut Orchestra (YMDO). Paul Smith will conduct the (very) young Tune Up musicians in a portfolio of crowd-pleasers, like “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Then conductor Kenneth Bean and associate conductor Rachel Segal will show off the prowess of the YMDO in Rossini’s Overture to L’italiana in Algeri, three of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances (Nos. 1, 3, and 10), and Beethoven’s Second Symphony.
Philadelphia Youth Concert Band: May 17 at 11 a.m., Riely Theatre, The Shipley School, 825 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr, free; tickets and information.
Tune Up Philly and Young Musicians Debut Orchestra: May 17 at 3 p.m., Salvation Army Philadelphia Kroc Center, 4200 Wissahickon Avenue, free; tickets and information.
A Long-Lost Chopin Waltz — Saturday, Harold Prince Theater, Annenberg Center
In 2024, the Morgan Library & Museum in New York wrote to Dr. Jeffrey Kallberg, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music History at the University of Pennsylvania, asking for his help with a recently discovered manuscript — likely a Chopin waltz. After an intricate verification process, with the help of Robinson McClelland, associate curator of music at the Morgan, the tiny score — 4x5”, slightly larger than an index card — was confirmed to be from the hand of the Polish piano titan. On Saturday morning, Dr. Kallberg will discuss the discovery and perform the piece. The event starts with light breakfast and coffee at 9 am, followed by a lecture and the performance.
May 17 at 9 a.m., Harold Prince Theater, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut Street, $25 suggested donation; tickets and information.
Music at Bunker Hill — May 18, Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, Sewell, NJ
"Disturbing vitality" and an "almost theatrical grimness" are among a handful of criticisms leveled at César Franck’s gorgeous Piano Quintet. Thankfully, legions of classical music fans think otherwise, and Music at Bunker Hill will present five terrific players to show the 1879 work in its best light. But for others the draw may be the rest of the program, a brace of rare Ukrainian delicacies by Fedir Yakymenko (1846-1945): his Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano (1911), and the String Trio, Op. 7 (1899). Also known as Fyodor (or “Theodore”) Akimenko, he was renowned for being one of Stravinsky’s early music theory teachers. Performers include violinists Solomiya Ivakhiv and Emilie-Anne Gendron, pianist Melvin Chen, violist William Frampton, and cellist Laura Metcalf-Boyd.
May 18 at 3 p.m., Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, 330 Greentree Road, Sewell, NJ, $5-$30; tickets and information.
