As summer begins, many of the area’s heavy hitters decamp to festivals or their “summer homes” — one reason that Fanfare will be scaling back to a once-monthly cadence until after Labor Day. But as you’ll see here, June still holds plenty of music to suit most every taste.
Spotlight: Morton Feldman’s “Three Voices” — Friday, University Lutheran Church
Amid a flood of pre-Independence Day fare, Bowerbird is the outlier, presenting the virtuoso soprano Charlotte Mundy in Morton Feldman’s Three Voices, written in 1982 for the great Joan LaBarbara. An hour-long stamina test, with text based on Frank O’Hara’s 1957 poem, Wind, the score calls for the singer to perform with two pre-recorded tracks of her own voice, rarely showing up on concerts due to its difficulty. Mundy, who also performs with the virtuoso avant-garde vocal ensemble Ekmeles and in the experimental chamber group TAK Ensemble, should be more than up to the challenge.
June 5 at 8 p.m., University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut Street, $15-$25; tickets and information.
The Philadelphia Orchestra — Various dates, Marian Anderson Hall
To end its 125th season, The Philadelphia Orchestra is throwing a party with Hélène Grimaud as soloist in Gershwin’s Piano Concert in F, followed by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo in Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah.” Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin ends the fiesta with a crowd-pleaser, the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
Near the end of the month, the ensemble plays the score to The Wizard of Oz, synced to the film, and using the original orchestrations reconstructed by John Wilson and Andrew Cottee.
And on the last day of June, the orchestra offers its fifth annual Pride Concert, hosted by Trixie Mattel of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, featuring the ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, and the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, all conducted by Carolyn Kuan.
June 4 at 7:30 p.m., June 5 at 2 p.m., June 6 at 8 p.m., and June 7 at 2 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $66-$241; tickets and information.
June 26 at 7:30 p.m., June 27 at 2 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, $39-$144; tickets and information.
June 30 at 7 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 South Broad Street, free; tickets and information.
Allentown Band — Various dates and locations
A goldmine for band aficionados, the Allentown Band is presenting free events all month. On Saturday, June 6, comes an eclectic “Salute to Veterans” that includes Victory at Sea by Robert Russell Bennett, the Midway March by John Williams, and selections from the musical, 1776. One week later on Sunday, June 14, the 119th annual celebration hosted by the Allentown Flag Day Association gets underway with an array of patriotic favorites.
The band’s Juneteenth commemoration (Friday, June 19) offers perhaps the most interesting lineup, with A Movement for Rosa (1992) by Mark Camphouse, tenor Eric Fennell in Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs, and Freedom by Ken Moyer, with the Greater Shiloh Church Gospel Choir directed by Aaron Pearson. Rounding out the program are American Salute by Morton Gould, and the Folk Song Suite by William Grant Still.
For many Americans, Independence Day celebrations wouldn’t be complete without John Philip Sousa, and on Sunday, June 28, the Band will make their wishes come true. For xylophone lovers (we know you’re out there), Craig Mandelbaum will be tapping the wooden bars in Fluffy Ruffles, a 1919 ragtime novelty by George Hamilton Green.
June 6 at 1:30 p.m., ArtsQuest Center at Steel Stacks, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA, free; more information.
June 14 at 3 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA, free; more information.
June 19 at 7:30 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA, free; more information.
June 28 at 7 p.m., West Park Bandshell, Linden St., Allentown, PA, free; more information.
Looking ahead to July: the Allentown Band continues with an Independence Day concert on July 4, and “Concert Sundaes in the Park” on July 5. Both concerts are free.
The Crossing — Various dates and locations
To kick off its “Month of Moderns” series, The Crossing first offers concerts with an eye toward social justice, both featuring the world premiere of Nicole Lizée’s Boy Drawing a Lady With Trademarks for Eyes and Copyright-Scented Hair. At the end of the month, the series continues with a second pair of concerts, with the world premiere of Virtue by Nathalie Joachim, featuring cellist Thomas Mesa.
In between, the ensemble appears with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center for A Hundred Years On, a new oratorio by composer Peter Boyer and librettist Mark Campbell, who were inspired to recreate a day at the 1876 Centennial Exposition at Fairmount Park. Anthony Parnther will conduct the choir, orchestra and five vocal soloists. To complete the evening, the orchestra adds Julia Wolfe’s Liberty Bell from 2025, and Sousa’s classic, The Stars and Stripes Forever.
June 6 at 5 p.m. at Broad Street Love, 315 S. Broad Street; June 7 at 5 p.m. at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave, $2-$26; tickets and information.
June 17 at 8 p.m., TD Pavilion, Highmark Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Avenue, $18.76-$50, tickets and information.
June 27 at 5 p.m., Broad Street Love, 315 S. Broad Street; June 28 at 5 p.m., The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave., $2-$26; tickets and information.
Philly Pride Arts Festival — Various dates and locations
During a month to celebrate LGBTQIA+ artists, five organizations have joined forces for the Philly Pride Arts Festival, including a few classical (or classical-adjacent) events. East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP) kicks off things on June 6 with a cabaret-style evening, Fear and Loathing in Philadelphia, followed on June 12 by Love Notes Special Edition: Memoirs of a Gaysian, with tenor Spencer Britten, countertenor Chuanyuan Liu, and pianist Jeremy Chan. And for the fifth year, ePOP offers a free concert on June 18 at Dilworth Park featuring vocalists Nia Drummond and Teddy Balfour, with pianist Aurelien Eulert.
Also on June 12, Altissimo Arts celebrates its anniversary with five saxophones — count ‘em! — including the quartet Project Fusion and Valentin Kovalev. On June 20 and 27, the alt-rock/jazz group MOBBLUZ presents PRIDE Outside Jam and Musical Theatre Karaoke, two different shows inviting audience participation, and on June 25 at Franky Bradley’s, Liberty City Arts hosts Opera is a Drag!, underlining the classic symbiosis between two disparate art forms. Finally, fans of the Bard may want to show up on June 26 at the Black Squirrel Club for ShakesQueer: A Pride Cabaret, presented by the Prismatic Arts Ensemble, with performances, games, raffles, and drinks.
June 6 at 7 p.m., Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor Street, $28-54; tickets and information.
June 7 at 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Parkway, $10-$100; tickets and information. (Note: the Pride March is free.)
June 12 at 6:30 p.m., Trinity at 22nd, 2212 Spruce Street, $35; tickets and information.
June 12 at 8 p.m., Society Hill Dance Academy, 1919 E. Passyunk Avenue, $38-$50; tickets and information.
June 18 at 6 p.m., Dilworth Park, 1 S. 15th Street, free; more information.
June 20 at 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., BodyRock Boot Camp, 3858 Lancaster Ave, $10 suggested donation; more information.
June 25 at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.), Franky Bradley’s, 1320 Chancellor Street, $25-$35; tickets and information.
June 26 at 8 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah Street; more information.
June 27 at 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., BodyRock Boot Camp, 3858 Lancaster Ave, $10 suggested donation; more information.
Bach’s Magnificat — Sunday, June 7
There’s rarely a shortage of Bach, and Vox Ama Deus ends its season with a tribute to the composer that includes the “Alleluia” from Cantata BWV 51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, Piano Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, and the Magnificat, BWV 243. The conductor, Valentin Radu, will also appear at the keyboard. And of course, we can’t help being a little proud: among the many soloists for the evening is WRTI’s weekday morning host, bass John T.K. Scherch.
June 7 at 7 p.m., St. Katharine of Siena Church, 104 S. Aberdeen Avenue, Wayne, PA, $12.20-$32.60; tickets and information.
DoYeon Kim Quartet — Wednesday, June 24
One of “7 Musicians Pushing Ancient Asian Instruments Into The Future” (Morgan Enos), Korean composer DoYeon Kim straddles a line between classical and jazz, and is an expert on the gayageum, a Korean zither dating back to the 6th century. At the invaluable Solar Myth, Kim will play with flutist Laura Cocks, bassist Henry Fraser, and drummer Tom Rainey. For an insightful introduction, tickets include a 6:30 pre-concert discussion with WRTI’s Nate Chinen.
June 24, 8 p.m., Solar Myth, 1131 S Broad Street, $37.08; tickets and information.
