If the Philadelphia Fringe Festival seems to have taken over the city, you might be right, with events scheduled all over town. At the Kimmel Center, the Philadelphia Orchestra gets its season underway with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, followed by concerts with a new excerpt from Leonard Bernstein’s MASS. Rounding out a week of “something for everyone,” the Academy of Vocal Arts gives audiences a glimpse of vocal artists destined for greatness, and (along with our spotlight), the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia satisfies that Mozart craving.
Spotlight: Don(na) Giovanni — Thursday, Saturday, and Sept. 27, The Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake
Don Giovanni, Mozart’s timeless opera about a womanizer who meets his comeuppance, gets a radical makeover in Don(na) Giovanni, created by woman-founded, queer-led Art City Opera. For the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and with an all-femme cast of 13 singers, the company reimagines Mozart’s story against a backdrop of current-day Philadelphia, with musical direction by Reese Revak and stage direction by Rebecca Sacks. Amid comedy, audiences may find themselves pondering all-too-topical questions about abusers and a culture inclined to protect them.
Sep. 24 and 26 at 7 p.m., Sep. 27 at 2:30 p.m., The Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake, 302 South Hicks Street, $35 (on Sunday, pay-what-you-can from $10); tickets and information.
My Place of Clear Water — Tuesday, Trinity Memorial Church
If you missed this when it appeared early in the avalanche of Philadelphia Fringe Festival, you have a second chance. Inspired by “Anahorish,” a Seamus Heaney poem published in 1972, mezzo-soprano Rachel DiBlasio has created My Place of Clear Water. The vocalist has begun with music by Missy Mazzoli, Kate Soper, Tom Cipullo, and Jake Heggie, and combined their work with poems — old and new — from Hildegard von Bingen, John Milton, Emily Dickinson, and Laura Morefield. DiBlasio will be one of the performers in a crew that includes pianist Sirapat Jittapirom, cellist Tom Kraines, and sopranos Melanie Culhane and Megnot Toggia. (Sung in English, French, and Latin, with lyrics and translations provided.)
Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., Trinity Memorial Church, 2212 Spruce Street, $35 (or pay-what-you-can from $10); tickets and more information.
The Philadelphia Orchestra: Opening Night and “Symphonic Rituals” — Thursday through Sept. 27, Marian Anderson Hall
Opening night of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s new season will be especially glossy this year, featuring Beethoven’s Ninth, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and with an all-star roster of singers: Leah Hawkins, J’Nai Bridges, Issachah Savage, and Ryan Speedo Green. To start the evening is Orbis (2007) by Joe Hisaishi, who wrote it as a companion to the Beethoven.
Starting the next night, three subsequent concerts offer keyboard enticement, with acclaimed pianist Alexandre Kantorow as the soloist in Brahms’s mighty First Piano Concerto. After intermission, Yannick leads the ensemble in the world premiere of Symphonic Rituals from MASS by Leonard Bernstein. In recent years, audiences have refocused attention on the eclectic score, which some say is one of Bernstein’s best.
Sep. 24 at 7 p.m. (opening night), Marian Anderson Hall, 300 South Broad Street, $103-$355, tickets and information.
Sep. 25 and 27 at 2 p.m., Sep. 26 at 8 p.m., Marian Anderson Hall, 300 South Broad Street, $29-$232; tickets and information.
Bombe Fits — Friday and Saturday, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
A new musical collective founded by soprano Katy Avery, Bombe Fits was created “to explore the expressive possibilities of the voice beyond traditional boundaries.” Those boundaries are all but guaranteed to be tested with works composed by Emma Cardon-Wake, Evan Monroe Chapman, John Conahan, Kevin Crouch, Tim Mukherjee, and Brendan Sweeney. (The middle four will also perform.) Built around a quartet of voice, guitar, bass, and percussion, Avery’s vision includes some of Philly’s most prominent new music collaborators. In addition to those mentioned above, the composers include vocalist Daniel Spratlan, bassist Patrick Nugent, and guitarist Thomas Schuttenhelm.
Sep. 25 at 7 p.m., Sep. 26 at 4 p.m., Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill – Widener Hall, 8855 Germantown Avenue, $25; tickets and information.
How does it feel to look at nothing — Friday, Saturday, and Sept. 27, Fringe Arts
For one of the more off-the-radar offerings at this year’s Philadelphia Fringe Festival, look no further than this new work by artists (and married partners) Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon. The duo have been inspired by Korean shamanic ritual, channeled singing, American experimentalism, hardcore punk, and Japanese Butoh, to tell the tale of a “deity of nothingness” in a show that is completely improvised. Music, dance, ritual, and projection will offer thoughts on “queer parenthood, trans pregnancy, and socio-political disintegration through a poetic, mythological lens.”
Sep. 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m., Sep. 27 at 2 p.m., Fringe Arts, 140 N Columbus Boulevard, $15-$50; tickets and information.
Academy of Vocal Arts: New Artist Recital — Friday, Church of the Holy Trinity
Vocal enthusiasts, head for this evening at the Church of the Holy Trinity, where the Academy of Vocal Arts will feature six singers, chosen for their prowess and promise, who were selected for AVA’s Resident Artist Program. With the menu to be announced, the artists include: Ashley Ruckman (soprano), Stella FitzGerald (mezzo-soprano), Brenden Christie (tenor), Ryan Michki (tenor), Jason Hwang (baritone), and Jamie Felix-Toll (bass-baritone), with music director and pianist José Meléndez.
Sep. 25 at 7:30 p.m., Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut Street, $10-$27; tickets and information.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia — Friday, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and Sept. 27, Philadelphia Film Society Center
In a model of classical programming, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia opens its season with Mozart’s evergreen Symphony No. 40, followed by a relative outlier, the Symphony in G minor (Op. 6, No. 6) by Johann Christian Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian. The lineup concludes with Schubert’s Fifth Symphony, and both concerts are conducted by COP’s music director, David Hayes.
Sep. 25 at 7:30 p.m., Mitchell Hall, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 2nd Floor, 19 South 22nd Street, $70-$107; tickets and information.
Sep. 27 at 4 p.m., Philadelphia Film Society Center, 1412 Chestnut Street, $40-$107; tickets and information.
