The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
First Soundings
2008 Grantee
$65,000
James Ehnes, photo by Benjamin Ealovega
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society was awarded $65,000 to present “First Soundings,” ten concerts featuring eight Philadelphia and two world premiere performances by the Emerson, Orion, Muir, Brentano, Juilliard and Daedalus String Quartets, violinist James Ehnes, a wind ensemble from the New York Philharmonic, Elizabeth Hainen (principal harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra), pianist Lydia Artymiw, and flutist Carol Wincenc. Composers whose works will be presented include Thomas Adés, Lukas Foss, David Horne, Lee Hyla, Aaron Kernis, Lowell Lieberman, Melinda Wagner, Robert Capanna, Richard Wernick, and David Maslanka. The Orion Quartet will offer a master class at Settlement Music School; the Emerson Quartet will offer one at Temple University.
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society was created so that people from all walks of life could enjoy world-renowned chamber music and recital artists. PCMS serves this mission through its unique policy of affordable ticket pricing – enabling audiences to hear the Guarneri, Emerson, Juilliard and Tokyo Quartets, recitalists Richard Goode and Midori, and many other leading musicians for just $22.50 per ticket or less. Since its founding in 1986, PCMS has presented some 700 concerts by 375 ensembles and recitalists, and commissioned more than 30 new works. Today’s annual program consists of more than 60 performances and 50 educational events. http://www.philadelphiachambermusic.org/