In anticipation of Hopkinson Smith’s upcoming performance this Thursday, I thought it would be a good idea to explore the rich history behind his instrument, the lute. It is not often that one has the opportunity to attend a lute … Continue reading →

What do you get when an archaeologist named Jill combines her interest in ancient history and travel with a love of fermented grapes?  The Jet Wine Bar. Jill opened Jet Wine Bar just over a year ago after returning from … Continue reading →

Whether at home or on your mobile device, we know more and more of you are staying connected through social media. We’ve maintained a Facebook page and a Twitter feed for quite a while now, and earlier this month we … Continue reading →

The fundamental characteristic that PCMS and the Twin Lakes Brewery share in common is the passion for preserving art forms – classical chamber music and American brewing respectively.  Sam Hobbs, the co-founder, writes: In the true spirit of patriotism, we … Continue reading →

“Baking You Happy” The subtitle to our next Social Series partner says it all. In a city known for cheesesteaks and soft pretzels, Sweet Freedom Bakery (SFB) is Philadelphia’s first and only bakery that is completely free of gluten, dairy, … Continue reading →

Compare the following quotes. Guitarist Pepe Romero: Since my birth, I have felt the guitar to have such a strong unifying force in our family that it impossible for me to imagine how I would have developed outside of my … Continue reading →

In case you missed them, here are the links to our first two concert reviews of 2012. ECCO essays ambitious program:  David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer reviews our January 6th concert with ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) Feltsman … Continue reading →

If you were strolling through Rittenhouse Square on a late afternoon and you slipped into a dream, you might find yourself passing through the opening of a hedge that leads to a French brasserie across the street.  It’s there that … Continue reading →

For our seventh artist interview of the season, pianist Peter Orth was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about his upcoming program at the American Philosophical Society. Here are his answers. I hope they help to illuminate … Continue reading →

To whet your appetite for our first concert of the new year this Friday, I wanted to share the following video of the East Coast Chamber Orchestra.  While not the repertoire that you will hear on Friday, January 6th at the Independence Seaport Museum, … Continue reading →

About the Author: Bettina Hoerlin is a PCMS Board Member and author of the recently released book, “Steps of Courage: My Parents’ Journey from Nazi Germany to America“ With Pablo Casals’ 135th birthday fast approaching, I am reminded of the … Continue reading →

For our sixth artist interview of the season, members of ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) were gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about the group’s upcoming program at the Independence Seaport Museum. Here are their answers. I … Continue reading →

As a year-end report of sorts, I thought it would be a good time to compile the reviews from the first part of our season. In case you missed any the first time around, here’s a complete list of our … Continue reading →

Few groups have as devoted a following as Anonymous 4, and with the vocal quartet’s annual holiday concert coming up tomorrow at the Church of the Holy Trinity (Rittenhouse Square), there’s always quite a bit of anticipation about which songs … Continue reading →

For our fifth artist interview of the season, Borromeo Quartet violinist Nicholas Kitchen was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about the group’s December 18th program at the Curtis Institute. Here are his answers. I hope they … Continue reading →

For the eleventh time, we welcome Anonymous 4 to Philadelphia for an evening unlike most we have throughout the year. The combination of an a capella vocal quartet singing repertoire heard nowhere else on our series at an atypical PCMS venue … Continue reading →

“Variety is the spice of life.” It also happens to be what keeps our concerts and Social Series fresh and engaging. Already this year we’ve enjoyed coffee with Purcell and Britten; chocolate with Mozart and Mendelssohn; and this Sunday, PCMS … Continue reading →

As the weather turns cold, we’re bringing in a local favorite for our Social Series to keep you warm.  On Sunday, December 11th PCMS will host the Manayunk Brewery during the Schumann Trio’s concert at the American Philosophical Society’s Benjamin … Continue reading →

For our fourth artist interview of the season, flutist Joshua Smith was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about his upcoming program at the American Philosophical Society. Here are his answers. I hope they help to illuminate … Continue reading →

Black Friday is overrated.  Shopping malls have conned us into dragging ourselves out of bed in the wee hours of the morning to buy their overpriced merchandise (even at their “discount”).  And the tryptophan, still lingering in our system, must … Continue reading →

While PCMS offers both online preview notes for each concert and pre-concert lectures for many of our programs, another wonderful way to prepare is by listening to recordings by the artist.  Four of our artists that PCMS is presenting in … Continue reading →

For our third artist interview of the season, cellist Christopher Constanza of the St. Lawrence Quartet was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about his upcoming program at the American Philosophical Society. Here are his answers. I … Continue reading →

PCMS’ Julian and Lois Brodsky Music Education Program has many facets.  Our Master Classes, Pre-Concert Lectures and Children’s Concerts are the familiar bulwarks that have been an integral part of our season for years.  But there are other features that … Continue reading →

Despite a collective desire from everyone with an iPhone or Blackberry to reduce the deluge of daily email, research shows that email marketing remains the highest performing and most cost-efficient activity for most organizations. While analysts tout the rise of … Continue reading →

Sometimes when people hear a new piece they don’t care for, I will hear them say, “I don’t like modern music.” I have always been puzzled by this. If you see a movie you don’t like, would you say, “I … Continue reading →

Marlboro loves Philadelphia! From the very beginning, Musicians from Marlboro ensembles have made Philly a regular stop on their tours, introducing exciting young artists to chamber music lovers along the way. The program was born in the 1960s, when William … Continue reading →

Sixty-plus concert seasons have become the norm for us here at PCMS. What started as a seven-concert series in 1986 reached a peak of 66 unique concerts in 2010-11, with another 63 comprising the current season. Is this the norm … Continue reading →

The Emerson Quartet’s October 21st concert was the first PCMS concert I attended in my official capacity as PCMS Intern. For those of you who are less familiar with the ins and outs of a PCMS concert,  I thought that … Continue reading →

Just like those favorite artists that return year after year, we keep coming back to Burlap and Bean coffee morning after morning, year after year.  But it’s more than just caffeine that’s led to our partnership, and to you enjoying … Continue reading →

Like stewards of a prominent art museum, we believe our role at PCMS is to bring to the public works that encompass a wide range of artistic styles, periods and perspectives. The Society was created to fill in the landscape … Continue reading →

Four years ago I joined PCMS as Development Director. I had never actually raised a dollar for a nonprofit in my life, but our Executive Director, Philip Maneval, is widely known for his “unconventional” hiring, and after a few weeks we … Continue reading →

With over 60 concerts each season, it can become a challenge to drum up new ideas for a pre-concert dinner — not to mention the inherent risk in trying a restaurant for the first time.  To help our patrons with … Continue reading →

For our second artist interview of the season, tenor Nicholas Phan was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions about his upcoming program at the American Philosophical Society. Here are his answers. I hope they help to illuminate … Continue reading →

We get a lot of nice feedback on our Sunday morning e-Newsletter. Readers often tell us how much they enjoy the behind-the-scenes information and engagingly personal tone of each note, and how they feel more like friendly conversation than a sales … Continue reading →

If you read the news and follow the arts, you’ve likely spent more time in recent years learning about the (sometimes gruesome) details of nonprofit finances. Last year, as we announced our 25th Anniversary Campaign, I had more questions than … Continue reading →

Recitals are a special part of the PCMS season. Featured artists often have high-profile careers as opera stars, touring soloists or as members of renowned ensembles. It can be difficult and even rare sometimes to pull a musician away from … Continue reading →

For our first artist interview of the season, Philip Ying of the Ying Quartet was nice enough to sit down and answer a few questions about the group and their upcoming program with Menahem Pressler at the Kimmel Center. Here … Continue reading →

I wanted to share links to a pair of season-opening reviews that appeared this week in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Just click the links below to read critic David Patrick Stearns’ thoughts on each of our first two concerts. Guarneris, Graffman … Continue reading →

Selling live classical music is never an easy proposition, but selling chamber music and recitals is, well, just that much harder. Why is that? Well, first and foremost, people tend to gravitate to chamber music as their musical tastes develop. … Continue reading →

I often say that chamber music as an art form is not waning but evolving. While this evolution may depart from what is considered “the norm”, groups are expanding repertoire, style and genre in ways that harken back to a … Continue reading →

Greetings PCMS patrons! Have you ever wondered why your favorite musician chose to play a particular piece, or what secret ingredients go into forming a great quartet? Well, look no further than our blog to find the answers to these … Continue reading →

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes in our box office, or how your online order actually turns into tickets? Allow me to pull back the curtain a little bit and walk you through the ticketing process here at … Continue reading →

The end of the summer is traditionally a period of enormous activity here at PCMS. This is when we launch most of our marketing pieces, pull together our annual program book, begin anew our weekly eNews and file many of … Continue reading →

Perhaps the one downside of working nearly all of our 63 concerts is that it becomes a challenge to attend anything else. Hardly a week goes by that I am not hearing about a fantastic event being presented by one … Continue reading →

As Miles warms up his voice for his pre-performance greetings from the stage, I am pounding the pavement in search of the finest delicacies our area has to offer.  Once again this year, the “Social Series” will be a staple … Continue reading →

PCMS will offer informative pre-concert lectures before 23 concerts this season. Given by respected musical scholars and composers, these lectures are held in our concert venues and provide compelling insights into the music being performed. Weekday lectures begin at 6:45 pm, … Continue reading →

PCMS’ Julian and Lois Brodsky Music Education Program offers free in-school classes conducted by master artists to music students at high schools and universities around the city. These unique classes offer students at all stages of musical development to be instructed … Continue reading →

In light of Hurricane Irene, I assume that many of you – like me – are stuck inside waiting out this dangerous storm. On behalf of everyone at PCMS, we hope you and your families are safe! If you are … Continue reading →

With our more spread-out spring schedule and a number of reviews related to our Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts events, my regular press feature is more of a “month in review” this time around. Continue reading for links to … Continue reading →

To wrap up my series of artist interviews, I have one last discussion to share. Cellist Marcy Rosen appears with PCMS on Friday, April 29th in the company of violinist Daniel Phillips and pianist Cynthia Raim. The trio’s program features … Continue reading →

In case you missed them, here are the reviews from our last two vocal recitals: “The many layers of ‘Schöne Müllerin’“:  The Inquirer’s Peter Dobrin on tenor Matthew Polenzani’s March 27 recital with pianist Julius Drake “Rare Wolf songs bravely performed“: … Continue reading →

For our penultimate Social Series concert on April 8th, we’ve scheduled a refined doubleheader of sorts — a  private tour of the APS Museum’s new exhibition Of Elephants and Roses: Encounters with French Natural History, 1790-1830 followed by a complimentary wine … Continue reading →

In this final 2010-2011 series of blogs on artists and their repertoire, Steven Tenenbom, violist of the Orion Quartet, answers our questions: PCMS:  Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces at this time? … Continue reading →

I have a trio of reviews this week for your reading pleasure: “A Mozart Who Breaks the Mold“:  The Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns reviews Robert Levin’s March 17th all-Mozart recital and discussion “Robert Levin Deconstructs Mozart“:  Peter Burwasser discusses Robert … Continue reading →

With the announcement of our 2011-12 schedule earlier this month, I’m happy to say that subscription season is in full swing. In addition to the usual benefits — preferred seating, reduced prices, etc. — we have an extra special offer this … Continue reading →

After stops in Denver and Cincinnati these next few weeks, Augustin Hadelich will be appearing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Sunday, April 10th at 3pm.  Presenting repertoire from Debussy to Schnittke to Sarasate, you will hear a range … Continue reading →

  What, on average, has… ~ 45% less calories than peanut butter? ~ 50% less fat than peanut butter? ~ 65% less saturated fat than peanut butter? Announcing our latest addition to our Social Series! Joining the Musicians from Marlboro … Continue reading →

Even though our 25th Anniversary concert has passed, the celebrations don’t seem to stop.  Among the tributes we’ve received this season, the Artists’ House Gallery will present “Celebration of Music” from March 30 to May 1, honoring the Philadelphia Chamber … Continue reading →

A big thanks to everyone who attended our 25th Anniversary Celebration earlier this week — what a marvelous night of music-making it was! Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer has critic David Patrick Stearns’ thoughts on the festivities. To read, just follow the link … Continue reading →

Ignat Solzhenitsyn:  The idea to include Stravinsky came from Tony Checchia (PCMS Artistic Director), who wanted this concert as part of PCMS’s engagement in PIFA (the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts – the city-wide arts festival celebrating the creative … Continue reading →

See the links below for our latest reviews as well as last weekend’s Philadelphia Inquirer piece in which the Inquirer editorial board praised PCMS for 25 years of “operating like a well-tempered clavier”. “Hitting all the notes”:  Editorial in Saturday’s Philadelphia … Continue reading →

Continuing our tradition of bringing premieres of new works to Philadelphia, on Wednesday, March 30 the Belcea Quartet will be offering the Philadelphia premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Twisted Blues with Twisted Ballad. Earlier this season, I spoke with the Quartet’s violist, Krzysztof Chorzelski, about … Continue reading →

I’ve made a series of announcements about our upcoming Social Series events and the variety of local vendors that will be sharing their products with us before the concerts and at intermission.  In case you missed any of them, here’s … Continue reading →

On Friday, March 25th, pianist Lydia Artymiw will be joined by Hiroko Yajima, violin, Samuel Rhodes, viola, and Marcy Rosen, cello for a recital of works by Beethoven, Dvorák and Fauré.  Continuing our exploration of how artists choose the programs … Continue reading →

Our brethren in Washington, D.C. have been savoring the vocal talents of Joyce DiDonato this week.  As a prelude to her PCMS recital on February 28th, make sure you read this pre-concert feature and subsequent rave review of her recital … Continue reading →

See the links below for the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s reviews of our most recent concerts at the American Philosophical Society: A pianist for the purists: David Patrick Stearns talks about Cecile Licad’s February 4th recital For once, the harp got to … Continue reading →

If you’ve been to any of the operas in which Joyce DiDonato has sung a major role, you may have noticed her playing a female or male role.  This is because her type of voice as a mezzo-soprano—a slightly lower, richer … Continue reading →

Continuing our exploration of why performers select the repertoire they do, Raman Ramakrishnan, cellist of the Daedalus Quartet, responded to our questions: PCMS: Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces at this time? … Continue reading →

One of the things I enjoy most about my job is dividing my time between PCMS and Marlboro because I am able to spend time during the summer with some of the very same artists that we present during the … Continue reading →

I had the good fortune to be in my car on February 8th when the NPR program “Here and Now” marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great American poet Elizabeth Bishop.  When asked what characterized the poems … Continue reading →

On Friday, February 18th, the Daedalus Quartet will present the Philadelphia premiere of Richard Wernick’s 8th String Quartet.  I asked the Quartet’s first violinist, Min-Young Kim, to speak about working on this piece. Miles Cohen: What interested the Daedalus Quartet about … Continue reading →

If you’re as excited for Joyce DiDonato’s February 28th recital as I am, you may enjoy this video of the “flame toned American mezzo” performing Haydn’s “Scena di Berenice” — the first selection on her PCMS program with pianist David … Continue reading →

As part of our new initiative exploring how artists choose the programs they present, we asked Soovin Kim of the Johannes Quartet the following questions: PCMS:  Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces … Continue reading →

A big thanks to Joel Gibbs for profiling Joyce DiDonato’s upcoming recital on this week’s Talk Philly on CBS3. Joel leads the “Love the Arts in Philadelphia” campaign, which is generously funded by Gerry Lenfest and does so much for PCMS … Continue reading →

As part of our initiative exploring how artists choose the program they present, we asked Christopher Costanza (St. Lawrence String Quartet) the following questions: PCMS: Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces at … Continue reading →

If you drive in to Philadelphia on concert nights, you may have noticed a PCMS artist looking down on you from above.  That’s Mitsuko Uchida (top) and Arnaldo Cohen (bottom) who were spotlighted on our most recent set of PCMS … Continue reading →

PCMS:  Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces at this time? Hai-Ye Ni: (as edited by Peggy L. Curchack, Education Director) “I chose this repertoire because I wanted a lot of variety in … Continue reading →

In a few weeks, the Johannes Quartet will join us at the American Philosophical Society with a program of Mozart, Kurtág and Webern.  Months ago, during the annual Marlboro festival in Vermont, I had the opportunity to interview violinist Soovin … Continue reading →

As Miles promised in his weekly e-mail, I wanted to share with you this transcript of Richard Goode’s speech at the Chamber Music America banquet in honor of Tony Checchia and Frank Salomon. Dear Tony, Frank and assembled lovers of … Continue reading →

For our second Social Series event in February, I’m delighted to announce that PINOT Boutique will be joining us for a special wine tasting on February 9th when we present harpist Elizabeth Hainen and Friends at the Philosophical Society.  PINOT staff … Continue reading →

As part of our ongoing series of artist interviews, pianist Robert Levin recently shared with me some thoughts on his PCMS recital program.  Here are some excerpts from our conversation: “The program I shall be playing resulted from an invitation … Continue reading →

I have an especially robust collection of reviews and links for you this week, so without further ado… Surprise:  Bach on the accordion:  The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Peter Dobrin reviews Lidia Kaminska’s January 21st recital at the Art Museum Curtis’ Jonathan … Continue reading →

The St. Lawrence String Quartet is possibly the first chamber ensemble to perform a work…on an iPad!  Following Lang Lang’s lead, the quartet aired an online performance of Pachelbel’s Canon – each member holding an iPad in the same way … Continue reading →

This Wednesday’s appearance of Matthias Pintscher at the Perelman Theater will be to conduct the Curtis Chamber Orchestra in a concert that includes Stravinsky, Henze, and Ravel.  To close the concert, Pintscher will lead the orchestra in a performance of … Continue reading →

We are excited to be bringing another world premiere to Philadelphia this February when Philadelphia Orchestra principal harpist Elizabeth Hainen presents Horizontes Inexplorados, a new work by Argentinean composer Esteban Benzecry. Earlier this fall, PCMS Manager Miles Cohen discussed the piece with … Continue reading →

This week’s batch of links includes a pair of rave reviews and an in-depth preview of next week’s sold-out recital with the prolific, precocious Jonathan Biss. Happy reading! A Useful Tip, A Timely Reminder:  Tom Purdom of the Broad Street … Continue reading →

Missed last month’s concert with the Curtis Chamber Orchestra?   Heard it and want to re-live it?  Well, I have a treat for you.  A recording of the entire concert — which features conductor Joel Smirnoff, flutist Jeffrey Khaner and … Continue reading →

Here are two post-concert nuggets for you from ECCO’s appearances last week in Philly and New York. Exuberant 18 at  Seaport:  The Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns reviews ECCO’s January 7th concert with PCMS A String Ensemble at Play:  Body … Continue reading →

Here’s another Social Series announcement to melt your heart:  Georges Perrier’s PURE Gourmet Sorbet will joining us for a tasting in conjunction with our February 13 concert with the Johannes Quartet. Before the concert and at intermission, Chef Perrier’s company … Continue reading →

PCMS:  Why did you choose this particular repertoire for your concert?  Why perform these pieces at this time? Cecile Licad:  (as edited by Peggy L. Curchack, Education Director) I don’t really know why and how I put these pieces together.  Perhaps … Continue reading →

Currently on tour with Cirque du Soleil, master accordionist Lidia Kaminska took some time out to speak with Peter Dobrin of The Philadelphia Inquirer in advance of her PCMS debut on Friday, January 21st at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  For … Continue reading →

New Education Blog Series:  Why this repertoire?  Why now? Have you ever wondered how performers select what they are going to perform at a PCMS concert?  Why do they choose one particular work of a composer and not another?  What, … Continue reading →

It’s been exactly one month since our last piano recital, thus all of us at PCMS are looking forward more than ever to Jonathan Biss’s upcoming recital at the Perelman Theater. In speaking about the pieces on his January 25th … Continue reading →

Violinist Michi Wiancko of ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra) just sent us this video link of the group rehearsing/recording their first CD (which is set for release in summer 2011). Just click on the video player below for a nice … Continue reading →

The Imani Winds is one of our favorite wind groups, and we’re obviously not alone!  Recently, NPR recognized the group’s latest album – Terra Incognita – as one of the five best contemporary classical music albums of the year.  (read … Continue reading →

Our next Social Series announcement involves our most far-flung partnership yet, as on Tuesday, March 1st the Virginia Chutney Company will travel up from their base in Washington, Virginia to join us for a joint tasting/ concert with the Ysaÿe … Continue reading →

To cap our 2010 press coverage, here’s one more excellent review plus an in-depth feature for your perusal: Cellist Weilerstein is outstanding:  The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s David Patrick Stearns reviews Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan’s December 13th recital Getting to know … Continue reading →

Thoughts on Listening, and John Cage “The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be beautiful is why do I think it’s not beautiful.  And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.”  (John Cage) ——————————————————————————————————————————————— Ever since … Continue reading →

Or one review and one preview, to be precise.  I hope to have one more pre-holiday post for you next week with reviews for Alisa Weilerstein, Anonymous 4 and more. Pianist Aimard at Perelman:  Daniel Webster reviews Aimard’s recital in … Continue reading →

Thanks to KYW’s Stasia DeMarco for featuring Alisa Weilerstein’s December 13th recital on this week’s KYW 1060 “Love the Arts” report. Give a listen below, and take a look at CBS-3′s Love the Arts site all next week for more … Continue reading →