Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia are set to open their 2024-25 concert seasons. For Piffaro, that includes four local sets of performances and two of those programs “on tour.” For the Chamber Orchestra, the new season boasts six pairs of concerts in the Kimmel Center and an additional two “in the park.”

For Piffaro, led by West Mt. Airy’s Priscilla Hereid, each of the season’s four concert programs will be performed locally at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. The season opens with “Triomphi,” a program of music featuring works surrounding the poetry of Petrarch, the most influential writer of the Italian Renaissance. Piffaro’s five core players will join forces with early music ensemble TENET Vocal Artists and visual designer Camilla Tassi for the peformance.

Performances are scheduled for Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m., in the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, and Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m., in the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Savior in West Philadelphia, and Oct. 13, at 5 p.m., in Christ Church Christiana Hundred in Wilmington.

“Nova! Nova!” will continue the season with a program of English music for Christmas. Piffaro’s players will be joined by the singers of New York Polyphony. The concert will be performed Dec. 21, at 7:30 p.m., in Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, and Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in Center City and Dec. 22, at 3 p.m., in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington.

Piffaro will welcome the New Year with “All Excellent and Esteemed: the Bassano Family,” focusing on an Italian (and likely Jewish) family of wind players who moved to England during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. Performances are set for May 22, at 7:30 p.m., at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, and May 21, at 7:30 p.m., in the Episcopal Cathedral, and May 23, at 3 p.m., at Christ Church Christiana Hundred.

The season comes to a sparkling conclusion with “Now is the Month of Maying,” a celebration marking the end of winter and the start of spring. Performances are scheduled for May 10, at 7:30 p.m., in Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church,  and May 9, at 7:30 p.m., at the Episcopal Cathedral and May 11, at 3 p.m.,  in Immanuel Church Highlands in Wilmington.

Piffaro will also host a “Recorder Fest” March 15, 2025, at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch of Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia.

For more information, call 215-235-8469 or visit piffaro.org.

Chamber Orchestra

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, under the direction of David Hayes, will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding as the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia. The ensemble was the brainchild of Marc Mostovoy. He wished to offer local classical music lovers a chamber-sized orchestra that explored the baroque and classical repertoires of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mostovoy was followed by Ignat Solzhenitsyn and, most recently, Dirk Brosse. Hayes is best known to Philadelphians as the successor of the late Michael Korn, the founder and director of the now-defunct Philadelphia Singers.

Hayes and the Chamber Orchestra will open their season Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. The program will feature Beethoven’s “Coriolan” Overture and “Emperor” Piano Concerto No. 5 with Michelle Cann as soloist. Cann is a member of the piano faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music.

Next on the roster is a program highlighted by Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s “Symposium,” with violinist Sandy Cameron. The concert also includes Bela Bartok’s Divertimento for String Orchestra and Aaron Jay Kernis’ “Musica Celestis.” Concerts are Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Jeffrey Brillhart, longtime music and arts director at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, will conduct a mostly Bach program Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 19 at 2:30 p.m. The program includes the “Brandenburg” Concertos Nos. 3 and 5, and “Ich habe genug” with soprano Kata Goodrich.

Cellist Tommy Mesa will join Hayes for Franz Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major and Jessie Montgomery’s “Divided” Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 16 at 2:30 p.m. Francisco Fullana will conduct and solo in Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” March 28 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 2:30 p.m. The season comes to a close May 16 at 7:30 p.m. and May 18 at 2:30 p.m. with piano soloist Mikhail Voskresensky in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 9 and 20. Hayes will also conduct local composer Jennifer Higdon’s “Soliloquy.”

For more information visit chamberorchestra.org.

You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.