This week features a number of performances which invite you outside classical music traditions, from standard concert dress to the standard idea of classical music itself (and traditional performances as well, but I hope you have tickets already!).
Spotlight: Sō Percussion — Sunday, Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church
One of today’s most exciting and interesting ensembles, closest to classical music though they do so much more, Sō Percussion’s next stateside show will be just south of town as part of the Music at Bunker Hill series in Sewell. Sō says on their website, “Cool chamber series like this used to happen all over the country. This one in Sewell stands strong, south of Camden, championing expert readings of music new and old." The program, titled Unplugged, features a wide variety of the group’s collaborators and inspirations, including members of the quartet itself. The quartet has been doing a number of performances with their frequent collaborators, so this solo show will be one of the more diverse programs on their schedule. Student tickets are heavily discounted, and percussion students get in free; you just have to call or text ahead.
Nov. 16 at 3 p.m., Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, 330 Greentree Road, Sewell, NJ, $5-$30; tickets and information.
PCMS bookends the week — Monday and Sunday, Perelman Theater and Benjamin Franklin Hall
Two performances from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society open and close this week. They’re both sold out, but it might even be worth getting on the waitlist for the Monday show, as pianist Beatrice Rana will be at the Perelman Theater playing Prokofiev, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky. You’ve got a bit longer to wait for the next show on the PCMS schedule, as cellist Peter Wiley and pianist Anna Polonsky have a program of Beethoven, Brahms, and Mendelssohn lined up for Benjamin Franklin Hall.
Beatrice Rana: Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, sold out, but join the waitlist by emailing boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org or calling 215-569-8080; more information.
Peter Wiley and Anna Polonsky: Nov. 16 at 3 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut Street, sold out, but join the waitlist by emailing boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org or calling 215-569-8080; more information.
L’Orfeo — Friday and Sunday, Philadelphia Film Center
Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo isn’t the very first opera, but it’s the earliest which is performed with a degree of regularity. Opera would then continue throughout the generations, and the story of Orpheus and Eurydice would follow, inspiring music and arts beyond as it was passed down. Curtis Opera Theatre opens their season with this early Baroque masterwork at the Philadelphia Film Center.
Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., Nov. 16 at 2 p.m., Philadelphia Film Center, 1412 Chestnut Street, sold out, with an available waitlist; more information.
Stuart Bogie & Buck McDaniel — Friday, Stoneleigh and University Lutheran
Clarinetist Stuart Bogie and keyboardist Buck McDaniel, both also composers and improvisers, present two performances on Friday. The first, at noon at Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden in Villanova, will be completely improvised with McDaniel on the main house’s Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, and the second will be at University Lutheran featuring some composed works alongside their improvisations, this time with McDaniel on piano. The musicians’ collaboration began with a series of improvisations called November Variations, performed and recorded last November in New York, part of which has been released, so you can have a preview of the shows.
Nov. 14 at 12 p.m., Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden, 1829 County Line Road, Villanova, $15-25; tickets and information.
Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., University Lutheran, 3637 Chestnut Street, $15-25; tickets and information.
Beethoven and Blue Jeans — Friday, The Grand Opera House
This performance has a dress code, but don’t worry if your tuxedo has been collecting moths — this is strictly a casual performance. The Delaware Symphony and, they hope, you, will all be wearing their favorite jeans as they perform Beethoven’s Eroica, along with Lowell Liebermann's Concerto for Flute and Camille Pepin’s Laniakea. They hope the casual setting will be more welcoming for new audiences, and for me, the music by living composers on the program sure doesn’t hurt either.
Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., The Grand Opera House, 818 North King Street, Wilmington, DE, $35-95, tickets and information.
Davóne Tines & The Truth — Saturday, ArtYard
Bass-baritone Davóne Tines is known for his creative classical recital series, and for this performance he brings his band The Truth (his usual collaborative pianist John Bitoy and sound artist Khari Lucas) for an experience that reaches beyond classical music and music itself. The group ventures into experimental R&B, jazz, and string music, and invites the audience for guided meditations which will frame the program.
Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m., ArtYard, 13 Front Street, Frenchtown, NJ, $17.85-$23.18; tickets and information.
Looking ahead:
The Crossing — November 21, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
Joseph Keckler: A Good Night in the Trauma Garden — November 22, ArtYard
Sova — December 5, University Lutheran
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — December 5-7, Marian Anderson Hall
Blackbox Ensemble — December 6, University Lutheran
Lorelei Ensemble — December 12, Church of the Holy Trinity
