FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2015
MUSIC AT ETHICAL ~ CONCERTS ON THE SQUARE
New Collaborative Series
Explore How Music Transcends All Aspects of the Human Condition
PHILADELPHIA: June 13 and 14, 2015 – The Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia (EHSoP) and Fine Art Music Company (FAMC) co-present “In Concert with Nature”, the season finale of the newly launched music series called Music at Ethical ~ Concerts on the Square. The program is performed twice: Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 PM at Ivy Hall (6331 Lancaster Avenue), and Sunday, June 14 at 3 PM at The Ethical Society Building (1906 Rittenhouse Square).
According to Hugh Taft-Morales, the Leader of EHSoP, “this new partnership with FAMC brings great music wrapped around important humanist themes. Ethical Humanism seeks ways to inspire us all to live closer to our ethical ideals and to confront the difficult issues of our day. Music inspires. It reenergizes. It can help transform challenges that seem insurmountable to opportunities for growth.”
The Music at Ethical series premiered in late 2014 and has explored such themes as ‘Harmony Across Barriers – Black Origins in American Classical Music’, ‘Oppression and Transcendence: Sounds of Reaction’ and ‘Of War: Composing for Mankind’. The 2015-2016 season will be announced shortly.
Co-directed by pianist Rollin Wilber and violist Geoffrey Baker, the Music at Ethical series connects the context of composers’ lives with musical works of universal expression. Wilber commented: “The thematic focus of our programming results in a thoughtful array of classical works with stories to tell. We build an intimate environment in which to play, exploring humanistic aspects of these inspired works, striving to create a spontaneous and rich experience of great and unusual music shared by everyone there.” Each concert is followed by a short discussion about the performed works and a reception.
The season finale program In Concert with Nature – Musical Inspirations from our Natural World, takes the audiences on a “natural” journey in music-sharing. “European composers like Dvorak, Brahms and Saint-Saens, along with seldom-heard but equally worthy women composers like Marion Bauer, were touched by the natural world when writing masterpieces like Quieted Longing, Violins in the Evening, the great A-Major Piano Quintet, and Up the Ocklawaha,” said Baker. “Sunset, twilight, the deep, dark forests of central Europe, the ancient swamps of the American south, the sounds of beast and bird – they’re all there, brilliantly assembled and given a medium for us to consider their significance in our concert.”
The fine cast features local professional musicians: Tatyana Rashkovsky, mezzo-soprano, Jonathan Moser and Megumu Kajino, violin; Geoffrey Baker, viola; Carlos Javier, cello; Rollin Wilber and Katarzyna Marzec-Salwinski, piano – who offer instrumental and vocal works by Brahms, Debussy, Pablo Casals, Mikhail Glinka, Anton Arensky, Joseph Marx, Marion Bauer, including Antonin Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major.
Music at Ethical: “In Concert with Nature”
Schedule and Information:
Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 PM (preview performance)
International Institute for Culture – Ivy Hall
6331 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19151
Tickets: $25 general admission. Order at http://fineartmusiccompany.ticketleap.com/in-concert-with-nature-ivy-hall or at the door.
Sunday, June 14 at 3 PM (as part of the Music at Ethical series)
The Ethical Society Building
1906 S. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Tickets: $25 general, $15 students/seniors/EHSoP members. Order at http://fineartmusiccompany.ticketleap.com/in-concert-with-nature-ethical-society or at the door.
More Information: www.FineArtMusicCompany.com or 215-803-9725.
** Program subject to change.
About Fine Art Music Company: Founded in 2010 by pianist and performer Rollin Wilber, FAMC presents compelling concert programs in settings that allow close interaction with audience and musicians, in order to engage the listener’s mind with reasons for experiencing the works played, and to share the potency of classical music with continual freshness of discovery. FAMC is a music resident at Ivy Hall (home to the International Institute for Culture). Contact Rollin Wilber 215-803-9725 or rollin@fineartmusiccompany.com. More at FineArtMusicCompany.com
About The Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia: The Ethical Society is a fellowship of individuals and families, an Ethical Humanist nontheist congregation. It strives to enhance personal growth, nurture caring community, and build social justice. The EHSoP programs reflect a belief in the individual’s capacity to make a difference. Contact Leader Hugh Taft-Morales 215-735-3456 or office@phillyethics.org. More at www.PhillyEthics.org.
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