Philadelphia Chamber Music Society Offers A World of Music

Kris Walski, for GPA -- In today’s digital world, there are many ways to access music for free or at most, a nominal fee. These days, live traditional and classical music may seem too pricey a pursuit for the average music lover.

It’s true that prices for good seats at a renowned concert can easily reach over a hundred dollars. However, there is something priceless about taking in a live performance, seeing how the music we hear in movies or on our gadgets sounds when it is performed just a few feet away.

This is the appeal of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS) and why they invest so much to make world-renowned music from both domestic and international artists accessible to a wider public.

Founded in 1986 with the intent to create a forum for chamber music, the PCMS has since offered countless concerts and musical programs at affordable prices. It has also strengthened the presence of Philadelphia on the cultural and musical world stage.

“Out of the over 60 concerts it performs annually, about one third are from international artists and another third from artists who were born or grew up abroad,” says Erik Petersons, Outreach Director for PCMS.

Looking at a brochure of their current season, the diversity of geographical and instrumental representation is nothing short of astounding. Artists from countries such as Germany, Israel, Japan, Georgia and Macau are a few examples of the many.

Attendance to PCMS concerts has steadily grown over the past seven or so years since the country’s economic recession and the demand for quality performances isn’t going anywhere. There is something relaxing and soothing about classical music. It can bring out various feelings and emotions of the human experience and spur ideas and creativity.

As Albert Einstein, the well known scientist and overlooked violinist, once said, “I live my daydreams in music.” 

Image courtesy of Quazoo.com.