As many of the region’s performing arts organizations present the last of their offerings for the 2025-26 season, they’re taking a moment to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Audiences across our region will experience these festivities and opportunities to hear musicians at the very beginning and end of their careers.
Spotlight: Beethoven and Marsalis — Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Marian Anderson Hall
If, like me, you are a huge fan of both jazz and classical programming on WRTI, this concert is tailor-made for you. As if seeing only one of the world’s greatest musical ensembles was not enough, The Philadelphia Orchestra will join forces with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and their bandleader, Wynton Marsalis. The performances feature selections from Marsalis’s own Fourth Symphony (“The Jungle”), and are part of the Orchestra’s celebration of America’s 250th birthday. While the orchestra is no stranger to collaborating with jazz musicians onstage, it’s not always with another ensemble of the size and stature of the JLCO. This is sure to make for an mesmerizing and unforgettable experience.
Let us also not forget that on the other half of the program is one of the greatest and most popular symphonies ever written: Beethoven’s Seventh. All of this is led by the Orchestra’s principal guest conductor, Marin Alsop. With the 2025-26 season about to come to a close, this will be one of your last chances to see some of their more usual programming at Marian Anderson Hall until the fall.
May 28 at 7:30 p.m., May 30 at 8 p.m., May 31 at 2 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $55-$240; tickets and information.
Imogen Cooper — Wednesday, Perelman Theater
Earlier this year, British pianist Imogen Cooper announced her retirement after a legendary career that spanned almost six decades. She lined up a farewell tour before calling it quits, and her last concert in the United States will take place in Philly on Wednesday night. The concert, part of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series, is sold out, but they can often squeeze a last-minute ticket your way if you sign up for the waitlist. This will be your last chance to hear one of the finest interpreters of Schubert’s piano works, and a great opportunity to witness music played by someone with such depth and experience.
May 27 at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S Broad Street, Sold out: To join the waitlist, email boxoffice@pcmsconcerts.org or call 215-569-8080; more information.
Let Freedom Sing — Wednesday, Coca-Cola Park, Allentown
Coca-Cola Park in Allentown is home to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a baseball team that boasts the highest average game attendance of any in the minor league. On Wednesday they host a slightly different type of event bringing together around 5,000 members of various community and school choirs in the region. The headlining group is none other than the world-famous Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and their conductor Christopher Jackson. Throughout the evening, various combinations of singers will perform works related to the celebration of America’s 250th celebration. At the end, everyone will join together in a community sing-along, followed immediately by a fireworks display.
May 27 at 7 p.m., Coca-Cola Park, 1050 Ironpigs Way, Allentown, PA, $14.50; tickets and information.
Martha Graham Dance Company — Friday and Saturday, Zellerbach Theatre
While perhaps a bit out of the realm of our normal classical music offerings, a visit from the Martha Graham Dance Company this weekend is absolutely worth your consideration. For the uninitiated, they are a company dedicated to the legacy of its namesake founder, considered to be the mother of modern dance in America. They are in the middle of their GRAHAM100 tour in celebration of 100 years since the company’s founding. Their performances at the Zellerbach Theatre, presented by Penn Live Arts, include an exciting collaboration with Philly’s very own PHILADANCO! as they join for a premiere performance of a work by choreographer Tommie-Waheed Evans.
May 29 at 7:30 p.m., May 30 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut Street, starting at $95; tickets and information.
Root Song — Friday through May 31
“Listening to the wisdom of the trees” is the framing behind the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society’s special event, Root Song, taking place over three days this weekend. The two main events are world-premiere performances by the vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth, of a work by renowned composer Christopher Theofanidis. These will take place at Philly’s historic Bartram’s Garden, a fitting location for music inspired by the vast networks of communication that trees use below the surface. In between these two performances, on Saturday night at the Perelman Theater, is a panel discussion from two of the world’s leading botanists: Robin Wall Kimmerer and Suzanne Simard. Each will also hold pre-concert talks before the musical performances. Limited tickets are available for certain events, but the whole offering is worth checking out; especially if you like new music or are interested in the science behind the natural world.
Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, sold out; more information.. Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $35; purchase tickets.
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra — May 31, Marian Anderson Hall
The Philadelphia Youth Orchestra will put their stamp on America 250 with a program full of works from the mid-20th century written by Americans, and an arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner by Igor Stravinsky. This comes as they close out their 86th season with their longtime music director, Louis Scaglione, leading their annual festival concert in Marian Anderson Hall. Audience members will experience the youthful exuberance from the region’s finest young musicians that is one of the hallmarks of the larger Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute. (Full disclosure: audience members will also hear my voice over the PA system asking them to silence their cell phones at the beginning of the concert.)
May 31 at 7 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, from $44.80; tickets and information.
