Congratulations to the 2013 Knight Foundation Arts Challenge!  Here is a list of projects of specific interest to the classical music community.  Some involve classical music in a direct way, others offer programs that offer unique ways of presenting classical music, some offer general programs that may prove useful in supporting organizations.  You might want to…

Ahead of their upcoming chamber music concert at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, I recently interviewed Solomiya Ivakhiv, Robert Durso, and Zsolt Bognár on the music they will…

Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Bach Festival are thrilled to invite you to the 37th annual Bach Festival 2013! The celebration of Bach's genius presents three unique programs spanning two weekends and two Center City venues.

We are opening on Sunday afternoon, April 28th, with an entirely improvisational organ recital by Artistic Director Matthew…

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…

“Ivakhiv’s performance had distinctive charm and subtle profundity…She neither drives nor chases a score, she illuminates it.” – Daily Freeman, New York

PHILADELPHIA—Violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv will perform Brahms’ sonatas at the Philadelphia Ethical Society, April 28, 2013 at 3:00 PM.  Hailed for her versatility as a solo, orchestral, and…

Eric Whitacre Singers' one-day only concert in Philadelphia is on Wednesday, March 20th at 8 PM at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall. The program called "Inspirations" is presented by…

The Eric Whitacre Phenomenon…

In yet another collaboration this weekend, the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, and pianist, Ching-Yun Hu came together to present an evening of Beethoven and Gill.  The concert began with a rousing performance of Beethoven's "Overture to Fidelio".  The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra…

Dolce Suono Ensemble performed a themed Debussy concert, “Dialogue of the Winds,” at Philadelphia’s Trinity Center for Urban Life on Sunday, February 17, 2013.  The concert ranged from works by Mozart to Saint-Säens to Shostakovich performed by four highly reputable chamber musicians: Anthony McGill, clarinet; Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; Charles Abramovic, piano.

Taking turns playing in different formations throughout the afternoon performance, the artists…

A year in the making, the moment finally arrived when the efforts of the Melos Music composers and the musicians of ensemble39 came together for the evening of the annual concert. Seven of the eight works to be performed were world premiers and all were composed this year. My description may…

(Note: An introduction to Melos Music is available in Part 1 of this series.)

Melos Music's third annual concert will take place in Philadelphia this year, and it's scheduled for…

As posted on their website, Melos Music is described as "a collective of composers from across the United States who collaborate to create, publish, concertize, and advance new music to a global community."  The genesis of Melos was sparked by the…

I attended the Philadelphia Orchestra performance of the Verdi Requiem on Saturday evening, October 20, 2012.  This was the inaugural concert of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. 

The first exciting moment came on the first few measures when the strings entered on a thread of sound.  I was captivated.  The beauty of the Kyrie remained suspended while the conductor rested.  Verdi, ever the dramatist, shattered the silence with the Dies Irae.  I almost shuddered at the choral entrance…

My goal for LocalArtsLive in the 2011/2012 season was to immerse myself in classical music concerts, write about as many as I could, and get the word out about the existence of LocalArtsLive.  That goal was achieved after attending over 80 concerts and writing 60 or more articles; and the results are a growing community.  It's a joy to run into people I met last year at almost every concert I attend now. 

The 2012/2013 arrives with a new goal.  If LocalArtsLive is going to…

Cathedrals are rare in the new world so the chance to hear Choral Arts Philadelphia perform at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul was an opportunity not to miss.  This would also be a chance to hear one of my favorite composers in a very different form of unaccompanied choral.  Gone were the fireworks of…

So you want to "like" the LocalArtsLive Facebook page but you'd really prefer your newsfeed to just show information from friends and family?  There's now a way to do this.  I recently created an interests list that includes all the Facebook pages I know of that are related to classical music in Phildadelphia.  To start using the list and separate…

Congratulations to the 2012 Knight Foundation Arts Challenge!  Here is a list of projects of specific interest to the classical music community.  Some involve classical music in a direct way, others offer programs that might help emerging artists, ensembles, or organizations to kick start their initial efforts establish their organization.…

We are driven by our love for George Gershwin’s music and the importance we see in bringing this great American icon’s music into the lives of the young generation…

The Music For Youth of PA requests the pleasure of your company

at the concert and reception…

Saturday night was the third time I've attended a Buxtehude Consort concert, and each has been better than the previous.  Though its membership and makeup changes a bit between each performance its cohesiveness has improved to the point where you might be led to believe…

If Verizon Hall was filled to near-capacity for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s performance on Friday night, I think that this was due more to the presence of Music Director Designate, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (YNS), on the podium and at the harpsichord, than to the program: Mahler’s 6th Symphony and J.S. Bach’s 5th Brandenburg Concerto. YNS’s last Philadelphia Orchestra appearance, when he conducted Brahms’ German Requiem, and Mozart’s 40th Symphony, was equally well-attended. However, the synergy…