The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA) 2013 is scaled down significantly from the original festival held in 2011, but that doesn't mean there aren't events with great potential in the lineup.  The Kimmel Center asked me (Sharon Torello) to be a social media ambassador for the event and I scrambled to find bloggers so we could cover all the classical music events in the…

As luck would have it the weather got nasty last Friday evening, so I made my way by train from Yardley to Center City to attend the LocalArtsLive Showcase “Ancient Instruments and New Music.” It was the third showcase presented by LAL founder Sharon Torello, but the first that I had attended. Having no idea what to…

The new year is a great time to review what's happened and recognize people and organizations who have been helpful in the success of LocalArtsLive.  My focus since I launched the website in March of 2011 has been to raise awareness and build a membership base.  I'm pleased with the results and I'll supply some numbers below.  The new year will bring an emphasis on tending to business details in order to build a sustainable organization.  …

So you live in Bucks County or neighboring New Jersey and you're wondering - "Where can I go for performing arts around here"?  Frustrated with the difficulty of answering that question and the lack of online information about performing arts groups in the region, Lynn Fergusson created…

September 22, 1pm-3pm

Hamilton Hall at the University of the Arts

320 South Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA

Over 300 concerts around the world will take part in celebrating Playing for Change Day and a dedicated…

LocalArtsLive (LAL) is committed to helping the classical music community in the greater Philadelphia region.  As a one woman operation, keeping all the plates spinning in the acrobatic act necessary to run LocalArtsLive by myself is a fantastic challenge; yet wonderfully fulfilling at the same time.  Why?  Because I have the opportunity to work with amazingly interesting, talented, and dedicated musicians, fans, and volunteers.  LAL helps musicians and related organizations by creating or…

What can I say, but thanks!  Thanks to the musicians, William Way, and the volunteers who were all critical to the success of the showcase presented by LocalArtsLive and William Way.  To say that the audience was enthusiastic would be an understatement.  I don't think I've ever heard whistles of approval for a…

For complete program notes, including texts and translations:

LocalArtsLive/William Way Showcase program notes

The Laughing…

LocalArtsLive's 2nd showcase is around the corner so mark your calendar for July 12th!  We are collaborating with the William Way LGBT Community Center this time and it will be held in the ballroom of their wonderfully central location at 1315 Spruce Street.  The lineup will also be a bit more streamlined with 3 ensembles who will play 20 minute sets followed by a reception.  Time permitting we will also conduct a brief Q & A session prior to the reception.  

The first…

On Saturday, March 10^th, After a delicious and jovial dinner at Thai Singa House as part of the LocalArtsLive Young Friends (LYF), fellow classical music enthusiasts and I took a short stroll to 38^th and Chestnut to the…

There is a lot of free publicity available to musicians, but you need to meet a couple of deadlines to make sure your listings are effective.  Here are some rough deadlines for the tools used by LocalArtsLive.  Of course all of these activities could be completed earlier:

1 month:  …

If you see this picture of the Torello double bass section of the Philadelphia Orchestra scrolling by in the featured events section, you may be able to knock them off the screen!  Featured events are only available to members of LocalArtsLive, however, membership is free, and it includes a listing in the Professionals Pages directory.

Purchase…