June brings mayflies, July brings cicadas and August brings the emergence of fresh new concert schedules. Here are two that recently arrived:
Starting Sept. 5, the Pennsylvania Academy of Music is rolling out an ambitious slate of concerts. “A Season of Masters and Maestros” includes five different series, including a series of performances of all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas by pianist Anne Koscielny, with pre-concert lectures by a variety of experts. The three concerts of the American Inspired Series will feature Veri & Jamanis playing Gershwin, the Newstead Trio’s world premier of a composition by Seymour Barab and a multi-media program on the life and music of Samuel Barber. The Twilight Concert Series will bring to town an impressive variety of musicians, including the Ensemble la Bernardinia, a baroque trio; violinist Ann Fontanella, playing early romantic music; the Guarneri String Quartet on its farewell tour, featuring Dvorak’s “American Quartet”; pianist Chetan Tierra; the Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass; guitarists Ernesto Tamayo, Eliot Fisk, Valerie Hartzell and Petar Jankovic performing classical, romantic and flamenco works; the Newstead Trio premiering a work by Adrienne Albert; and the Virtuosi String Quartet, a new group formed of alumni of some great chamber ensembles. Jazz at the Academy will feature the Mitchell-Ruff Duo, the Tord Gustavsen Trio and the Dave Leonhardt Trio. Finally, the Next Generation Chamber Music series will put the spotlight on the Academy’s own soloists and groups in the Choral Festival Concert (featuring the premier of “Circlesong” by British composer Bob Chilcott), the Student Concerto Concert and the All School Concert. Call the Academy at (717) 399-9733 or the box office at (717) 517-5216 for more information.
The Community Concerts offer a substantial bargain: six concerts for $60. This year’s lineup includes a re-creation of the World War II-era Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band (Sept. 25), the New York Theatre Ballet presenting its version of Prokofiev’s Cinderella, Pianafiddle (pianist Lynn Wright and violinist/fiddler Adam DeGraff), family piano virtuosos The 5 Browns, Quartetto Gelato and the Swingle Singers. Call Reifsnyder’s, (717) 392-7658, for ticket availability.
(This post was edited on 8-13-08 to remove the word “music” from the title line.)
