November 19, 2024
The year 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Brazil. Join PCE this November for a bicentennial celebration that showcases two centuries of incredible music from South America, from the earliest works by composers native to Brazil to a world premiere commission by André Mehmari, a leading figure on the Brazilian classical scene today...
January 13, 2025
Honoring composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate with PCE's American Roots Artist Award PCE’s seasonal tradition ringing in the New Year, Amazing Grace, returns with a stirring program of music for chamber orchestra and vocal soloists...
March 18, 2025
Italian composer Nino Rota is perhaps best known for his unforgettable Academy Award-winning original score composed for Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece The Godfather. Our season finale will celebrate this gem as well as others from La Strada, Amarcord, and Romeo and Juliet....
"Wildly Ambitious"
Anne Midgette
"Invigorating"
Alex Ross
"One of the country's most innovative musical groups"
Phillip Kennicott
The Georgetowner Spring Arts Preview previews the best upcoming in visual and performing arts in and near Washington this season. Check out the Q&A with PCE’s Angel Gil-Ordoñez.
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 at 6:30pm: Tune up and tune in for The Prelude, a 50 minute pre-concert discussion that enriches the concert experience with insights into the music, the composers, and the artists. Free and on Zoom. Registration required.
Tuesday, March 21 at 6:30pm: Tune up and tune in for The Prelude, a 50 minute pre-concert discussion that enriches the concert experience with insights into the music, the composers, and the artists. With director and playwright Derek Goldman, visual artist Kevork Mourad, PCE’s Ángel Gil-Ordóñez and classical music journalist Gail Wein as host. Free and on Zoom. Registration required.
On February 9: Music Director Ángel Gil-Ordóñez was invited to join Philip Bennett at Harvard’s "Instituto Cervantes Observatory” to discuss performances of Spanish music, played by American musicians for American audiences, including lesser-known works by Manuel de Falla. They also addressed the surprising relationship between Falla and another towering figure of 20th-century Spain, Federico García Lorca, which PCE will explore at our next concert on April 19th.
Watch "Found in Translation: The Discovery of Spanish Classical Music by American Audiences"
Classical Music Critic Michael Brodeur names PCE’s April 2022 concert “Mahler’s Fourth: A Wicked New Look” one of the top 10 Washington, DC performances of the year!
On November 24, NPR’s 1A broadcast a PCE More than Music episode exploring the life and work of an American original, Lou Harrison. Harrison used instruments rarely seen in any ensemble—Flower pots, parts of old cars, and junk he collected with composer John Cage. Together, he blended eastern and western music into his own unique creation.
On December 4 at 2:00pm The Friends of the Art Museum of the Americas present “An Afternoon of Brazilian Chamber Music” featuring a 45-minute vibraphone, marimba, percussion, and vocal music program celebrating modern and contemporary Brazilian composers. With vocalist Melissa Wimbish, Bill Richards, Sean MacCarthy-Grant.
WETA's Robert Aubry Davis weekly review series, "Around Town Best Bets,” selects PCE's first concert of the season, "Paris at Midnight: Jazz and Surrealism in the 1920s.”
"Gil-Ordóñez led the 37-piece ensemble with attentive precision and a lively sense of humor that Petersen carried over to the keyboard."
