BSR Classical Interludes, more in May 2026

German Society of Pennsylvania: Exilmusik, in Memory of Margaret Darby
Thursday, May 14, 7pm
German Society/Barthelmes Auditorium, 611 Spring Garden Street

The German Society will present German tenor Michael Müller-Kasztelan and pianist Stefan Bone, joined by Philadelphia cellist Ulrich Boeckheler, for a program featuring works by Schoenberg, Weill, and Eisler, composers who were forced to flee Nazi Germany. Repertoire also includes settings of Heinrich Heine by Schubert and Schumann, songs by Mahler, and Barber’s Cello Sonata. The concert is presented to commemorate musician Margaret Darby, a member of the German Society and much-loved BSR writer who died in spring 2024.

Opera Philadelphia: The Black Clown
Thursday, May 14, 7pm
May 15-16, 8pm
May 17, 2pm
Miller Theater, 250 South Broad Street

This Opera Philadelphia premiere is also baritone Davóne Tines' company debut. The work is a vaudevillian rendering of "The Black Clown" by the great poet Langston Hughes. Tines co-conceived the work with composer Michael Schachter and director Zack Winokur, and it explores African American history with a fusion of gospel, opera, jazz, and spirituals. Sung in English without intermission and featuring an ensemble of 12 performers, the 70-minute work (with Schachter’s original music) is directed by Winokur and choreographed by Chanel DaSilva.

Variant Six: Equinox
Friday, May 16, 7pm
The Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square

Saturday, May 16, 5pm
Woodmere Art Museum/Smith Hall, 9201 Germantown Avenue

This vocal ensemble closes their season with a concert featuring Philadelphia composer Benjamin C.S. Boyle’s first cantata, To One in Paradise. Boyle wrote it 20 years ago, setting a late poem by Edgar Allan Poe, but this performance features his all-new transcription. Boyle has reset it for four Variant Six singers—Rebecca Myers (soprano), Lauren Kenny (mezzo), James Reese (tenor), and bass Daniel Schwartz—and Lyric Fest pianist Laura Ward. The concert also features vocal works by Fauré and Brahms. Friday’s Rittenhouse Square performance is presented by Bowerbird.

Philadelphia Orchestra: Yannick Leads Bruckner and Sorey
Friday, May 15, 2pm
Saturday, May 16, 8pm
Kimmel Center/Marian Anderson Hall, 300 South Broad Street

Part of Philadelphia’s America 250 events series, this bravura concert opens with the world premiere of Tyshawn Sorey’s 30-minute piano concerto titled For Marilyn Crispell. Commissioned by Yannick and the orchestra, and a highlight of the Marian Anderson Artistic Initiative, the one-movement work features pianist Aaron Diehl, a Steinway artist noted for his ability to cross between the classical and jazz genres. Sorey’s work reflects “the sound that both Diehl and Crispell have on the piano,” regardless of the style they play, and it was composed specifically for Diehl. The concert concludes with Bruckner’s majestic Third Symphony.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Root Song—Listening to the Wisdom of Trees
Friday, May 29, 7:30pm
Bartram’s Garcen, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard

This concert blends live vocal chamber music by the Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth with storytelling by Tchin into an immersive experience that channels forest wisdom. Inspired by ground-breaking research on the mycorrhizal networks that connect trees, and rooted in Indigenous knowledge, Root Song prompts reflection on our mysteriously interconnected natural world. The work is directed by Jazimina Creamer-MacNeil and composed by Christopher Theofanidis, with a libretto by Melissa Studdard. There is a 6:30pm pre-concert nature talk with Suzanne Simard. This is the first of two premieres in the series; the May 31 concert (also at Bartram’s Garden) is sold out.