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Voices of Spring, Scandinavian folk, and 85 years of PYO

BSR Classical Interludes, June 2025

In
3 minute read
Mazzocchi sits in a black suit with a blue tie, holding a violin for a portrait style photo.

Memorial Day has come and gone—and yes, it’s summer! But while the regional classical music scene gets ready to take a seasonal breather, June is still brimming with concerts, especially this weekend. There’s a lute duo, a concert of string quartets, an orchestral anniversary, classics that span the centuries, and seldom-heard vocal music from Sweden. Happy listening!

Philadelphia Youth Festival Orchestra: 85th Anniversary Concert featuring David Kim
Saturday, May 31, 7:30pm
Kimmel Cultural Campus's Marian Anderson Hall, 300 S Broad Street, Philadelphia

Dedicated to shaping future musical leaders, the PYO is closing its 85th season! Conducted by music director Louis Scaglione (who’s led the orchestra for almost three decades), the concert features Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim (who is passionate about music education) in Mozart’s elegant Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major. The ensemble will also play Mahler’s great Symphony No. 5, something that youth orchestras rarely perform.

Fairmount String Quartet: Voices of Spring
Saturday, May 31, 7pm
Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia

Sunday, June 1, 12pm
Main Line Unitarian Church, 816 South Valley Forge Road, Devon

This group—the ensemble in residence at Philadelphia’s Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields—closes their 40th season with a program of three diverse chamber works. Musicians Rachel Segal and Leah Kyoungwoon Kim-Tomilson (violins), Beth Dzwil (viola), and Mimi Morris Kim (cello) will play Haydn’s “Sunrise” Quartet, String Quartet #8 “Insect Dances” by Elena Ruehr, and Verdi’s String Quartet in E minor. A meet-the-artists reception follows the concert.

Gloria Dei Concerts: IVA: Scandinavian Folk and Art Songs
Sunday, June 1, 2pm
Gloria Dei/Old Swedes Church, 916 Swanson Street, Philadelphia

Celebrating the 325th anniversary of the church’s consecration, Gloria Dei presents Swedish American vocalist IVA. The singer and Fulbright Scholar—heard in diverse venues ranging from the Swedish Royal Opera to NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien—will sing works from composers that include Stenhammar, de Frumerie, Lindblad, Sjögren, Sibelius, Almqvist, Linde, Sund, and Greig in works rarely heard outside of Sweden.

Main Line Early Music: Duo Silvio: Lute Music of Bach & Weiss
Sunday, June 1, 3pm
Church of the Good Shepherd Rosemont, 1116 Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr

This series’ intimate venue will be perfect to hear the music of fine lutenists Richard Stone and Cameron Welke. The duo will perform duets by two friends from baroque Saxony: Sylvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Sebastian Bach. The program includes revelatory duets by Weiss, re-imaginings of some of Bach’s works, and a suite resulting from a weekend of improv by the two at Bach's home in Leipzig.

Artcinia: Two Classical Concerts
Bottesini and Dvořák String Quintets
Sunday, June 1, 3pm
Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, 1723 Race Street, Philadelphia

Vivaldi Four Seasons and More: The Mazzocchi Ensemble
Friday, June 13, 7 pm
Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 330 South 13th Street, Philadelphia

This presenter takes music to varied venues throughout the region. Classical offerings in June include two concerts led by violinist Luigi Mazzocchi, Artcinia’s co-founder and co-musical director. The first (on June 1) celebrates the organization’s ongoing relationship with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with works by 19th-century composers Giovanni Bottesini and Antonín Dvořák. The second (on June 13) features the Mazzocchi Ensemble in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood playing works that range from Antonio Vivaldi to Astor Piazzolla.

At top: Cofounder and artistic codirector of Artcinia and violinist Luigi Mazzocchi leads two June concerts. (Photo courtesy of Articinia.)

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