6abc loves the arts: East Coast Chamber Orchestra comes to town

Some of the country's most talented classical musicians are coming to Philadelphia to stage a conductor-less concert.

The East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) is a critically acclaimed string ensemble that formed in 2001. It's comprised of nearly 20 musicians who are leading soloists and principals from major American conservatories, and all under the age of 40.

"It's a real labor of love for them. That's what you'll see on stage and that's what you can see watching them," says Miles Cohen, Artistic Administrator for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (PCMS), which is presenting the concert that promises to take audiences on a journey through folk tunes and mythical tales from around the globe.

The show opens with the Philadelphia premiere of A Thousand Cranes, a piece by composer Christopher Theofanidis that was inspired by an ancient Japanese legend, "If you make a thousand cranes in origami, your deepest wish will come true," explains Cohen, who adds that it features guest harpist Sivan Magen. "It's a very beautiful juxtaposition between the harp and the strings."

Magen will also perform Andre Caplet's Conte fantastique (Fantasy Tale), a grim work based on Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death.

The mood then picks up with the Polish-infused series, Five Folk Melodies.

"They play upon all the bohemian, arty, dance like folk tunes that you would hear if you were coming from Poland," says Cohen.

The concert ends with Czech composer Josef Suk's Serenade in E-flat Major, "which kind of puts a bow on everything," says Cohen, "and you'll just feel like you're being transported to something."

The mission of The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society is to make concerts with world-renowned artists affordable, with tickets always $25 or less.

The East Coast Chamber Orchestra performs Friday, April 21 at 8 p.m. in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater.

You can find tickets at http://theartsinphilly.org/.

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