Philadelphia Music Roundup - August 2021

Summer! Hot and humid Philly is here. Outdoor events and streaming (air-conditioned at home?) events are in the line up this month. Did we miss something? Events coming up in August? Let us know at calendar@acfphiladelphia.org.

August 2021 events

YOUNG WOMEN COMPOSERS CAMP

Founded by Erin Busch, the Young Women Composers Camp is a two-week music festival for students who are interested in pursuing a career in music composition or a related field. Students take courses on a broad range of topics related to composition, and receive two private lessons from core faculty members as they compose new works. The camp culminates in a final performance of world premieres that will be live streamed for the public on August 7th and 8th.

STREAMING AND IN PERSON PERFORMANCES

  • On August 5th guitarist Chris Forsyth performs a solo show at Sunflower Philly, a community-based, nonprofit organization in North Philadelphia.

  • Streaming August 5-12, the Philadelphia Orchestra presents An Evening with Esa-Pekka Salonen featuring conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen leading the orchestra in his own music and Luciano Berio’s variations on Boccherini’s The Night Retreat of Madrid among others.

  • In August, Bowerbird presents three late night streaming concerts as part of Liminal States. On August 1st, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily performs from his home in New York; August 5th, Jupiter Blue, a duo from the Sun Ra Arkestra, will be featured; and on August 22nd, sound artist claire rousay will perform from San Antonio, TX.

ON GOING

  • Ars Nova Workshop and the Woodlands continue their series Spiritual Atmosferic Cleansing with Karen Smith on select Wednesdays this summer. The informal gatherings seek to provide a space for us to get in tune with ourselves and others, happening this month on August 11th and 25th.

  • Opera Philadelphia presents Organ Stops, a musical tour of Philadelphia’s historic pipe organs with the Opera Philadelphia Chorus. Among works to be performed are newer works written specifically for chorus and organ by contemporary composers Hannah Kendall, Melissa Dunphy, Marcus DeLoach, and David Hurd.

  • Running until September 30th, Ellen Reid’s SOUNDWALK is an immersive audio experience tailor-made for Fairmount Park. Recorded by musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Soundwalk Ensemble, Ellen Reid's compositions were meticulously programmed for Fairmount Park and the Mann’s campus, and can be experienced via a GPS-enabled mobile app. Soundwalk is free to the public and was created with social distancing guidelines in mind.

AUGUST 2021 at a glance

CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING

ACF Philadelphia