Good things in small packages: chamber music’s Philly home

When the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS) mounted its first season in 1986, it presented seven concerts. During the 2014-15 season, it will present 60. PCMS bills itself as “one of the largest presenters of chamber music in the United States,” but that statement underplays its uniqueness. Outside of New York, no other American city hosts an organization that is exclusively devoted to chamber music and presents this many concerts.

PCMS’s founders, Anthony P. Checchia and Philip Maneval, promised to keep their concerts as affordable as possible, and the organization can still claim it presents one of the cheapest series in the country. Single tickets for most concerts cost $24; a few cost $16-$18. A three-concert pick-your-own-events subscription drops the top price to $22; bigger packages increase the savings. The audience-building student pass is a whopper. For $30, students under 35 can receive a reserved seat at every concert on the schedule.

Ranking with the Orchestra

In retrospect, the founding of PCMS was an event that could be ranked with the founding of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the history of Philadelphia cultural institutions. When the Philadelphia Orchestra sounded its first notes in 1900, the classical music tradition, to most Americans, consisted of the orchestral music created by19th-century European composers. By the 1980s, a large segment of the audience had acquired broader interests. The spread of high-quality sound systems had introduced them to the attractions of chamber music and whetted their appetite for live performances.

Many people assume chamber music consists of miniatures that satisfy listeners with ultra-refined tastes. In reality, the chamber repertoire is packed with works that are just as powerful as anything the orchestra repertoire offers.

The Brahms piano quintet is a sterling example. When Leon Fleisher and the Juilliard Quartet perform the quintet at the PCMS concert scheduled for January 25, 2015, Fleisher will be attacking a piano part that is just as long as most piano concertos and just as complex, even though his partner will be a string quartet, not a whole orchestra. The Brahms quintet is just as stirring as a full-blown concerto and evokes the same kind of response.

The PCMS schedule emphasizes works by major composers played by touring stars, but the 60 events include plenty of room for exploration. The 2014-15 schedule includes premieres by David Ludwig and Shulamit Ran, works by quirky 20th-century composers like John Adams and György Ligeti, and novelties by lesser-known modern composers like György Kurtág and László Tihanyi.

The programs that feature visiting stars can include surprises, too. One of the major draws on the schedule, soprano Dawn Upshaw, will devote her appearance to the thorny, highly individualistic music of that great American original, Charles Ives. Her accompanist, Gilbert Kalish, will solo in Ives’s monumental 45-minute Concord Sonata.

PCMS has also extended its reach to include early music. An early music group, the Gamut Bach Ensemble, presents three Bach cantatas on December 17. English lute player Nigel North performs pieces from 16th-century Italy, France, and England on March 11.

The must-hear list

The top item on my personal must-hear list is Hilary Hahn’s appearance on January 5 — a rare opportunity to hear one of the reigning queens of the violin participate in a chamber session. Hahn will work with cellist Robert deMaine and her longtime partner, pianist Natalie Zhu. Zhu can also be heard November 25 in a program that includes the Philadelphia premiere of David Ludwig’s Aria Fantasy.

Zhu is a prime example of the high-level Philadelphia-based talent PCMS can draw on — a roster that includes local favorites such as clarinetist Ricardo Morales (January 9 and April 12) and pianist Cynthia Raim (January 15). The festivities even include an evening with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s reigning queen of the tuba, Carol Jantsch (November 9). Combine the local lights with a busy round of international stars like the Emerson Quartet (March 27) and pianist Yefim Bronfman (October 31), throw in the rising young musicians showcased in the three Musicians from Marlboro programs, and you have a season schedule that covers the full range of the contemporary chamber music scene.

Honest music

The PCMS staff deserves extra kudos for the clarity and candor of the “By the Numbers” page on their website. In 2013, PCMS presented 65 concerts on a budget of $1,336,000, of which 33 percent came from ticket sales; 38 percent came from foundation and corporate grants; 17 percent from donations from audience members; and the remainder from miscellaneous sources, such as a 4 percent contribution from city, state, and federal government support.

Here’s their answer to the classic query, “What Do Donors Receive?”

“Nothing much actually. We don’t have an exclusive ‘donors’ club,’ we don’t do fancy cocktail parties, and we don’t make key chains or tee shirts. However, our donors receive a very sincere letter of thanks; they get a valuable tax deduction; they are credited in our Program Book; and we try to get them the best seats we can. Most importantly, they know they’re supporting a well-run organization that really cares about them (and all of our audience members) and is doing something very important for Philadelphia.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if all organizations and bureaucracies, private and governmental, laid out the basic facts with the same straightforward good humor?

During the 2014-15 season, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society will present 60 concerts at six venues between October 13, 2014 and May 7, 2015. Single tickets to most events are $24; some cost $16-18. Students under age 35 may purchase a $30 full-season pass. For information and tickets, visit www.pcmsconcerts.org or call 215-569-8080.