Fun around town, for $10 or less: Hope They Leave a Light On: Screenings Under the Stars presents Hitchcock’s Psycho at the Great Plaza on Penn’s Landing (Chestnut and Columbus Blvd), 8PM. Free On the Organ: Scott Montgomery performs Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's "Sonata No.1 in F Minor," Gringy's "Ave Maris Stella," Bach's " Prelude and Fugue in C Major,” and more at the Kimmel Center (300 S Broad), 7PM. $10 Bring a Glove: Michael Jackson Tribute Night......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Economics PhDs: Philly originals The Contractions at World Café Live (3025 Walnut), 9:30PM. Free The N Crowd: Improv comedy troupe the N Crowd perform at the Actors Center (257 N 3rd), 8PM. $10 SATURDAY If You Can Stand the Kiddies: NBC10 day at the Adventure Aquarium (1 Riverside Drive, Camden), 9:30AM. $10 for all tickets Get Healthy: Annual Health and Wellness Fair featuring workshops and seminars on......

Lyric Fest is slowly but surely perfecting the solo voice recital. Their concerts are always well-programmed—thematic and insightful. This past weekend’s concert, “Old City - New Song,” featured works written by composers who have spent some or all of their lives in Philadelphia, ranging from Curtis alumni Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein to the Philadelphia Library’s orchestral music curator Kile Smith. The concert culminated in the world premiere of organist/composer Nicolas White’s The Aim......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Come With Suggestions: Local improv Tongue and Groove try out a new format at the Shubin Theatre (407 Bainbridge), 8PM. $10 These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things: PAWS fundraiser Wines, Canines, and Felines, a wine tasting you can bring your pets to, at Pinot (227 Market), 6-9PM. Free (10% discount on Pinot accessories, with all proceeds benefiting PAWS) While You’re Over There: Smak Parlour (219......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: The Kids Are All Right: Curtis on Tour, featuring Roberto Diaz on violin, at the Field Concert Hall (1726 Locust), 8PM. Free Bluebond: Bluebond Guitar Night at Raven Lounge (1718 Sansom), 8PM. $5 Open Mic: Free at The Fire (412 W. Girard). Sign up at 8:30PM. (21+) Sing Your Life!: Karaoke with DJ Sara Sherr Mondays upstairs at the Khyber (56 S. Second), 9PM - 2 AM. Free......

Leonard Bernstein has long held a place in our hearts as one of America's great composers and conductors. In honor of the 90th anniversary of his birth, the Philadelphia Orchestra, along with world- renowned soloists such as Joshua Bell and Jennifer Koh, has put together some truly timeless and innovative programs together for its Bernstein Festival, taking place from now until early February. In addition to celebrating Bernstein's music, the Philadelphia Orchestra also recognizes his......

Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit like Handel's Messiah. Despite the fact that much of Messiah's subject matter is better-suited for Easter, it has made itself a Christmas-time staple of choirs around the world. Because of its length (three hours), it's not too often that you hear Handel's Messiah in its entirety, much less on period instruments. Some argue that modern instruments fill Handel's texture out, but I find that they detract from......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: THIS JUST IN:The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society is holding a $10 ticket sale today, featuring 14 upcoming jazz and classical music performances (list after the jump). You can call the box office at 215-569-8080, or order the tickets online using the discount code "HolidayOffer." Air Power: Wind Quintet and Piano featuring the music of Poulenc, Barber, Ibert, and Higdon at First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnut), 7:30PM. Free Sing,......

Wednesday Dame Kiri Te Kanawa stops by Philadelphia for a recital of Mozart, Strauss, Poulenc, Puccini and Copland on her Farewell Tour. This may be your last chance to hear the world-renowned New Zealand soprano. Verizon Hall (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $34-$81 Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents the very accomplished Juilliard Quartet in an evening of Haydn, Shostakovitch, and Beethoven. Perelman Hall (Kimmel Center); 8 PM; $22.50 Thursday The Philadelphia Orchestra presents an Access Concert,......

The main problem with Shakespeare is that he wrote so darn much. Any group tackling this monstrous body of work in any form is certainly in for a ride. LyricFest's "Biography in Music - Shakespeare" was a fairly successful attempt. The amount of material covered by the program - the life of Shakespeare, readings from his works, and song settings of his works - certainly presents a problem for even the most dedicated programmer. LyricFests's......

Remember to pack your bottled water and bug spray. Most of the concerts this week are outdoors. Thursday Pack a picnic dinner and hear the Lukens Band, Chester County's oldest continuous concert band featuring patriotic songs, show tunes, and marches. Myrick Conservation Center; 7:30 PM; FREE Friday The Byers Choice Family Concert Series presents an evening of Classical Music in its beautiful Byers' Choice gardens. Byers' Choice Gardens; 6:30 PM; FREE Saturday Want another garden......

A Fine Frenzy Giveaway
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Philly's classical music community seems to be back from its Memorial Day break as well. Wednesday Take a walk at lunch. The Holy Trinity Church presents one of its lunchtime Brown Bag Concerts with The Cypress Trio. Holy Trinity Church (Rittenhouse Square); 12:30 PM; FREE w/ optional donation Friday Everyone loves HMS Pinafore, right? Listen to the Savoy's rendition of such popular tunes as "I'm Called Little Buttercup," and "I am the Captain of......

We're sad to say that there's not too much going on in the way of classical music fun. Monday provides us with the second performance of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia's All-Brahms program (Perelman Theater (Kimmel Center); 7:30 PM; $24-$81). And that's about it for the week. However, there's lots to look forward to, including the Philly Orchestra's annual free neighborhood concerts in Camden (6/2), Chestnut Hill (7/2), and Clark Park (7/21). We're especially......

We always get a little sad when the main classical music season ends and all the musicians go to their fun summer festivals. But, this can only mean that the Mann Center's season is just around the corner! Monday For the 150th anniversary of Robert Schumann's death, the Kimmel Center presents "The Romantic World of Robert Schumann" with Jeffrey Siegel, piano. This program takes a look at the passion behind Robert Schumann's piano works......

What a great week in classical music for Philly! Anonymous 4 comes to Philly on Thursday. Sunday appears to be the perfect storm of concert scheduling - you can't go wrong on Sunday even if you pick a concert blindfolded. Monday There's still one more chance to hear Vivaldi's Four Seasons as rendered by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. We know we could sure use a glimpse of spring. Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center; 7:30 PM;......

Still looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Nothing says I love you like an evening of classical music. Best bets include the timeless tale of love, Porgy and Bess, which continues at the Philly Opera, as well as some great chamber concerts around the city. Monday 1807 & Friends presents the Wister Quartet (comprised of Philly Orch. members) in an evening of chamber music by Haydn and Ravel. Academy of Vocal Arts (19th......

There’s not too much going on this week in the classical music universe. It seems like most of the smaller groups around town are waiting until at least next week to start up with concerts again. Nevertheless, there are still shows to be seen! Tuesday Marin Alsop, of the acclaimed Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, comes up to Philadelphia to conduct a wide range of works. From the mysterious Prelude of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde to the......

Philly’s classical music scene is really in full swing this week, only taking a break off for Halloween (but who isn’t?). Stay tuned for Phillyist’s review of La Bohème, which continues at the Academy of Music through Sunday. Monday The internationally renowned Guarneri Quartet with Cecile Licad (piano) will play works by Haydn, Janácek and Brahms. The Brahms piano quintet is perhaps one of the most moving of all works in the chamber repertoire......

This week’s classical music events seem to cluster during the weekend, but no matter. There’s plenty to see and hear with the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s La bohème and an assortment of chamber music concerts. Friday Puccini’s La bohème, put on by the Opera Company of Philadelphia, is not to be missed. One of opera’s most famous and most tragic love stories (the inspiration for Rent) continues to move us to this day with......

A big editorial welcome to another new Phillyist blogger, Sydney de Lapeyrouse, who, as you'll see below, is taking on an aspect of Philly that has, until now, been sadly neglected by us... Have you been lying awake at night, just hoping that Phillyist would start covering classical music events? Well, rest easy tonight. Here is your weekend classical music edition. Friday Sadly, tonight’s Emerson String Quartet concert at the Kimmel center is sold out,......