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 showcase was a hit, so don't miss this chance to enjoy a lively evening with a wide variety of classical music.  Tickets are only $10 in advance, $5 for students or members of William Way, and can be purchased here.  Doors open at 7:30 and the first performance will begin at 8pm.  Beta Test Music and Murmuration will return, and we are excited to welcome The Laughing Bird for some outstanding vocals.  If you missed the first showcase, please go here for details and a video archive to get a taste of what to expect.

Over 3600 people have already been invited via the Facebook event and there's only room for about 100, so don't wait too long to get your ticket.  Here is some information about the ensembles:

Beta Test
Beta Test Music, formed in 2010 is a chamber ensemble specializing in performing contemporary classical music, video game soundtracks, and other nerd-inspired music genres. Based in Philadelphia, the ensemble takes their experiences as professional musicians, life long gamers, comic book nerds, and “Magic: The Gathering” enthusiasts to present performances that place classical favorites alongside works from video games/comic books/Joss Whedon shows. The group has premiered works by Melissa Dunphy, Nat Evans, and Douglas Laustsen as well as provided many first live arranged performances of video game soundtracks.

Murmuration
Murmuration performs improvised classical music. Its core members, Eric Coyne, Russell Kotcher, Andrew Marsh are sometimes joined by other musicians while utilizing a flexible line up of instrumentation. It is not uncommon for texts to be sung from books provided by the audience, or for members to change instruments midway through a piece.

The Laughing Bird
Founded in 2010, The Laughing Bird is Philadelphia’s premiere early music vocal quartet, devoted to high quality performances of vocal chamber music from time immemorial through 1750. Comprised of established solo and chamber artists from the Philadelphia area, The Laughing Bird has performed monophonic and polyphonic works by such composers as Machaut, Dufay, Josquin, Byrd, Guerrero, Schutz, and Monteverdi, as well as plainchant. The Laughing Bird is Leslie Johnson, soprano, Jenifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano, Steven Bradshaw, tenor, and Colin Dill, bass.