The intimacy of Valentine’s Day continues all week long with these great smaller-scaled performances that you won’t want to miss — including the triumphant return of a beloved Philadelphia artist in her prime, a characteristically thoughtful turn from one of today’s most distinctive pianists, plenty of Romantic violin favorites, and a rare chance to hear some of the great organ masterworks in a resonant, intimate setting. From chamber music to keyboard fireworks, this is a week that rewards close listening and musical curiosity. Here are some handpicked recommendations.
Spotlight: Miró Quartet and soprano Karen Slack — Sunday, Perelman Theater
This is one of those concerts that feels especially meaningful to share with you. The Miró Quartet has spent more than 25 years performing on the world’s most prestigious stages, earning a reputation for its “collective intelligence [and] uncanny precision” (Musical America). Pairing that remarkable ensemble with soprano Karen Slack — a Philadelphia native and graduate of the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) and the Curtis Institute of Music — makes this performance feel both international in stature and deeply local at heart.
Hearing Slack return home at this point in her career, firmly in her artistic prime, is something I wouldn’t want you to miss. Her voice is rich and vibrant, but just as compelling is the way she brings clarity, conviction, and a sense of purpose to everything she sings. She’s part of a new generation of artists who treat classical repertoire as something living and urgent, and she always has something to say.
The program reflects that same sense of curiosity and intention. Alongside music by Samuel Barber and Florence Price, the concert includes a Philadelphia premiere of Pleasure Garden, a PCMS co-commission by the genre-defying composer Tamar-kali, written specifically for soprano and string quartet. The work was created to spotlight Slack’s artistry and it sits beautifully alongside arrangements of songs by William Grant Still and Margaret Bonds, as well as George Walker’s Lyric for Strings. It’s a program that invites close listening, where voice and strings meet in conversation, and it feels perfectly at home in the Perelman Theater’s intimate acoustics.
Sunday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m., Perelman Theater, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 South Broad Street; $32; tickets and information.
Jeremy Denk — Friday, Perelman Theater
Pianist Jeremy Denk, A longtime favorite with Philadelphia audiences, is one of those artists who makes you feel smarter just by listening. This season’s recital shines a light on works by nine female composers, past and present, placing them in thoughtful conversation with Brahms and Robert Schumann. His musical curiosity (especially in the way he juxtaposes the familiar with the lesser-known) leads to music-making that’s inseparable from the way he thinks and writes about music, something readers may recognize from his New York Times bestselling memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine! The result is a program that invites us in as listeners, sharpens the ear, and deepens our engagement as music lovers. A much anticipated program this week!
Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 South Broad Street; $32; tickets and information.
Schumann, Walton, and more — Friday, Curtis Institute Curtis student recitals offer one of the great musical gifts in Philadelphia: the chance to hear extraordinary young musicians up close, performing an astonishing range of repertoire, and always for free. Curtis Institute of Music students present more than 100 complimentary recitals each school year, making these concerts an easy and rewarding way to dip into the city’s musical life. This program is especially fascinating for its breadth of sound and style, from Robert Schumann’s Three Romances for oboe and William Walton’s Viola Concerto to chamber works featuring double bass and violin. The evening closes with Brahms’s dramatic Sonata No. 3 in D minor, a cornerstone of the Romantic chamber repertoire. It’s a snapshot of the ambition and curiosity that define Curtis’s performance culture — and a reminder of just how much musical richness is available for the price of advance registration.
Friday, Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, free with advance registration; tickets and information.
Curtis at All Hallows: Jessie Zixi Deng — Saturday, All Hallows Episcopal Church
Philadelphia has long been an organ town, home to historic instruments, knowledgeable audiences, and a musical culture that understands the power and poetry of the “king of instruments.” This Curtis at All Hallows recital taps right into that tradition. The Curtis Institute of Music has a long and distinguished history of training exceptional organists, and this concert offers a chance to hear that legacy continuing in real time. Organist Jessie Zixi Deng brings her artistry to the resonant space of All Hallows Episcopal Church, where the instrument’s scale and color can be fully appreciated. These performances invite a different kind of listening, one that’s immersive, architectural, and inseparable from the space itself. It’s a special opportunity to experience organ music in a city where the instrument has long held a central place in musical life.
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., All Hallows Episcopal Church, 262 Bent Road, Wyncote, free with advance registration; tickets and information.
Coming up in the next week, some other programs to check out include:
L'Orgue Mystique with Richard Spotts — February 23, St. Paul's Chestnut Hill, 22 E Chestnut Hill Ave, Philadelphia.
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 — February 26 - 28, Marian Anderson Hall, Philadelphia Orchestra, 300 S. Broad Street.
Le donne musicali — Tempesta di Mare, February 27 - March 1, various venues.
I Capuleti e i Montecchi — February 28 - March 7, Academy of Vocal Arts, Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce Street, Philadelphia.
