This was our 8th yearly concert since 2013! And it was our largest group – 23 singers and director. We had 50 people who came to the show.
PhilHarmonia opened its 7th Season with “Music, She Wrote” – a concert celebrating works by women composers through the ages. From Italian Renaissance madrigalist, Madalena Casulana, the first woman in western music history to have her works published to composers today such as Estonian composer Evelin Seppar, Australian-American composer Melissa Dunphy, and American composer Mari Esabel Valverde. They also marked the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Clara Schumann, herself a remarkable composer and extraordinary musician.
During the concert, PhilHarmonia performed 12 works from 9 composers from the 16th century the 1990’s. 5 of the composers were born after 1985 which was both significant and uplifting.
The concert included traditional pieces for choir with that lush sound as well as pieces with extreme dissonance, foot stomping and soaring pitches. They have a special affinity for performing pieces that tackle social justice issues including racism, and LGBT. There was energy on all their pieces, evident in their delivery.
What was unique was that choir members introduced the pieces. They had obviously researched them and made them their own.
The director is a choral professor at Temple University. The group began working on this concert at weekly rehearsals in September.
We thank the Heimbachs in the midst of selling their home for providing a wonderful reception including salmon and oysters. We also thank the Heimbachs, Pogues and Davis’ for keeping the singers overnight.
We have videos, pictures and the program/lyrics from the event:
1. Videos
PhilHarmonia rehearsal
PhilHarmonia sings Clara Schumann’s “Abendfeier in Venedig”
This is the 200th anniversary of her birth
2. Photos
PhilHarmonia concert, Nov. 2, 2019 (full size gallery)
3. Program
4. Lyrics
