Coming up in Philly music: Bach with a dash of Down Under

The next Bach@7 concert combines one of Bach’s masterpieces for solo cello with contemporary works by two composers with interesting résumés. Ross Edwards is one of Australia’s best known and most performed composers, the author of the Dawn Mantra that greeted the new millennium from the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Mark Rimple is a lutenist, counter-tenor, and music scholar whose prestige as a composer is beginning to match his stature in his other three vocations. Edwards will be represented by his 1999 Two Pieces for Solo Oboe, Rimple by a preview of four movements from his new work Mystic Fragments for violin and lute. This monthly mix of old and new is one of the happiest events on the Philadelphia music calendar, with a bustling reception following an hour of intense, rewarding listening.

Choral Arts Philadelphia’s the Bach Festival of Philadelphia will present “Bach@7” on Wednesday, February 3 at 7pm at University Lutheran Church, 37th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, next door to International House (note the special venue). No admission required, but there’s a pay-what-you-wish recommended $20 donation at the door.