CORNER HOUSE CONCERTS

live music in a living room

OUR 2024-2025 SEASON!
It’s our FOURTH!

CORNER HOUSE CONCERTS

live music in a living room

OUR 2024-2025 SEASON!
It’s our FOURTH!

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
LUKE BULLA
7p doors open | 7:30p music

Full house for this show!

• get on the waiting list!

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Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven.Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. Entering Nashville’s Grand Master Fiddle Championship at age ten, Luke distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top ten.In the spring of 1999, Luke moved to Nashville to establish himself as a full time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle with Kentucky Thunder, Ricky Skaggs’ band, which earned him his first Grammy Award.Following the Skaggs stint, he became a member of the John Cowan Band. More recently Luke has performed and/or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Patty Griffin, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few.With his long-time friend Casey Driessen, Luke founded the band Wisechild, which toured briefly with John Mayer and Counting Crows. He also had a band collaboration W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), which included members Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family), Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek, I’m With Her), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, The Attractions, Los Lobos), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck), and Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker).In 2009, Luke released a solo EP featuring Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Aoife O’Donovan and more.That same year, Lyle Lovett asked Luke to join his Large Band, with whom he toured full time until 2023.In addition to violin, Luke plays guitar and mandolin, and sings and writes songs.learn more!

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• get on the waiting list!

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• get on the waiting list!

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MAY!
date tbd
KATY AVERY, JOHN CONAHAN & FRIENDS

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Blistering, mystical jazz vocals with keys and bass from these well-known, wickedly accomplished, multi-faceted artists!More details to come soon!

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• What's a house concert?
• what are YOUR concerts like?
• who are you?
• where are you?
• what about tickets?
• how much does it cost?
• what are you doing about Covid?
• can I perform?
• I have more questions!

What's a house concert?

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Okay, what are YOUR concerts like?

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Who are you?

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Where are you?

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Do I need to buy a ticket?

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Okay, but how much does it cost?

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What are you doing about Covid?

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Can I perform at Corner House Concerts?

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Yeah, but I actually have more questions! What should I do?

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We all need more live music in our lives, right?We invite you to The Corner House for an intimate experience of music of all types. We've got some truly spectacular concerts coming up, and we’re making plans for more!Check out our schedule for events in our FOURTH SEASON!Concerts last about 90 minutes, with a 20-minute break. Come a little early for snacks and drinks. We ask only that you make a free will donation—amount is up to you, but we think $20-$30 sounds about right, right? All that loveliness will go, with our big thanks, to the performers.Stay tuned and stay in touch by joining our mailing list.And if you're a musician who'd like to perform, we'd love to hear from you!

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Here's where we share good news about things musical—so let us know what's going on in your musical world!MARY AMATO SONGWRITING WORKSHOPS
The accomplished and extremely wonderful singer/songwriter, author, and teacher Mary Amato offers terrific online classes—learn moreMore about Mary's music

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Announcing our 4th season!
2024-2025

Check out the fantastic events from 2022-2023!

Check out the fantastic events from 2023-2024!

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Check out these fantastic events from 2023-2024!

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Check out these fantastic events from 2022-2023!

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Hey, if you're a musician who'd like to offer a performance at Corner House Concerts, we'd love to hear from you!We're interested in presenting music of all types and genres—from traditional to classical, singers and instrumentalists together or solo.Our space will accommodate up to four or five—okay, really six or seven—performers. We have a very good upright piano, and we can set you up with mics and speakers.We ask you to offer two 40- or 45-minute sets with a short break. Scheduling is flexible, though we prefer to plan for evenings or late afternoons on Saturdays or Sundays.Corner House Concerts will ask audience members for a free will donation of $20-30, with all that loveliness going to you and your fellow performers.Looking forward to hearing from you!

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If you love live music and want to hear about great performances offered by Corner House Concerts, please join our mailing list. We promise not to bug you in any way except to let you know when there's new music coming soon.

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Though we recognize that we're all still living with the presence of Covid-19, we now have a mask-optional approach for house concert attendees as well as for our performers.We're assuming that at this point we're all doing what each of us needs to do to be safe and feel comfortable—so we assume you're fully vaccinated and that you'll opt to wear a mask to protect yourself and others if it should be necessary.And of course if you feel at all unwell, please stay home—we’ll see you next time!Our audience capacity is 35 seats in a space about 20 by 40 feet—chairs will be spaced accordingly.

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WHERE
Corner House Concerts lives at 491 East Gravers Lane, in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia. We are on the corner (yep) of East Gravers and Prospect Avenue. Remember it's EAST. (If you find yourself at 491 West, you will most likely not find a house concert going on there.)The entrance to our house is on Prospect Avenue.PARK
There's limited parking on Prospect Avenue; go ahead and ignore the "no parking" signs—literally everyone does, and it's never been an issue.There's also street parking on Gravers Lane and Crittenden Street (a side street just a half block away), and also in the lot at the Gravers Lane train station, just a bit over a block away.TRANSIT
The Gravers Lane stop of the East Chestnut Hill train line is just over a block away. The terminus of the West Chestnut Hill line is about a ten-minute walk.Looking forward to sharing the excellent experience of live music with you!—Rebecca & David

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SUNDAY, MARCH 23 |
MAX JOHNSON TRIO
7p doors open | 7:30p music

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• save your seat!

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For this concert, Max Johnson presents his incredible new trio with Neta Raanan on tenor saxophone and Connor Parks on drum set, celebrating their 2024 album I'll see you again, releasing November of 2024. This trio explores Johnson’s more traditional jazz compositions inspired by innovators Charles Mingus, Mal Waldron, and Thelonious Monk, while always featuring Johnson's unique energetic and chaotic soundworld.The Max Johnson Trio just finished a few years of trio touring across the US, Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, and Slovenia.Apart from his own releases and touring with the trio, Max has spent the last several years touring as a bassist with artists like Molly Tuttle, Jeff Austin & the Travelin' McCourys, Sam Newsome, and Anna Webber.

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• save your seat!

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 24 |
FAIRMOUNT STRING QUARTET
7p doors open | 7:30p music

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• save your seat!

We're thrilled to present the Fairmount String Quartet once again!Described as “expert to the point of perfection” by the Chestnut Hill Local and “likable and warmhearted” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Fairmount String Quartet has been leading the way in stretching the limits of the string quartet canon for 40 years.You can experience the breadth of their work and their versatility in their recordings (available on all major streaming platforms), which run the gamut from classical to pop to rock and even an album of music for yoga, which was featured in “Strings” magazine, but the best way to experience these eclectic musicians is live in concert in an intimate setting like Corner House Concerts.The Fairmount String Quartet is in residence at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and is a Spring Garden Records recording artist.learn more!

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“...a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others.”
—BillboardOn stage Canadian-American songwriter Rachael Kilgour expertly balances her poignant, literate songs with her quick wit, landing somewhere between a comedy special and a funeral.You can expect to laugh, weep, and reflect on your own relationships with fatherhood, mortality and grief.Kilgour was the 2015 Grand Prize Winner of the NewSong Music Competition and a 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest Winner, and has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her oft-noted “unapologetic lyrics” (Rolling Stone) and “master crafted indie folk” sensibilities (Billboard) are on full display in the delicately woven songs of her heartfelt new release My Father Loved Me.learn more

Singer-songwriters Keisha Hutchins Hirlinger and Sean Markey will take you away—to a sun-drenched patio, to the lulling rhythm of a tranquil train ride, to a romantic walk on a scented summer evening...

Keisha's captivating voice will transport you to memories of love, loss, and redemption, while Sean's dynamic and nuanced guitar playing and poignant vocals will invite you to reach into the tender deeps of your own heart.Hear the duo's original music along with songs by some of the greatest singers and songwriters of our time from Joni Mitchell to Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke to The Weepies.About Keisha
A classically trained musician at the Oberlin Conservatory, as well as a singer-songwriter and educator, Keisha Hutchins Hirlinger is passionate about music education and creating access to musical experiences for all children and communities. A teacher of music at Abington Friends School, she is a past recipient of the Leeway Foundation’s Art and Change grant for women who use their art to create social change. Keisha uses her platform as both a performer and an educator to bring attention to social justice issues through her own performances and educational concerts in collaboration with artist-activists from Philadelphia and surrounding areas.Keisha’s commitment to creating music experiences for all led her to be sought out to serve as a music workshop facilitator for ARTZ Philadelphia, an organization which provides arts experiences for those living with dementia and their care partners. Soon after, she was asked to spearhead and lead the ARTZ Notes program, serving as the lead facilitator and curator for the program.In March of 2017, Keisha curated and debuted a 90-minute performance called Going Home, as a part of Intercultural Journey’s 2016-2017 season Cultural Migrations through Artistry. The concert was an artistic exploration of being a Black, female artist in America, incorporating music from a variety of genres and traditions from arias to jazz to spirituals and included her own original music.In 2022, Keisha and her husband—percussionist, composer, and educator Doug Hirlinger—were commissioned to write music for the Fairmount Waterworks exhibit, Pool: A Social History of Segregation. Their suite Water Speaks explores the experiences and connections of Black people to the water from the water's perspective.Keisha lives in Philadelphia with her husband Doug Hirlinger and their two children.sample some of Keisha's gorgeous music here and hereAbout Sean
Philadelphia-based guitarist and vocalist Sean Markey has been a fixture in the area's jazz scene for eight years. Graduating with honors from Temple University, Markey studied under the direction of Terrel Stafford, Tim Warfield, Dick Oatts, Greg Kettinger, and Dan Monahan, among others.Markey was a protegé and friend of the late Tom Giacabetti, legendary Philadelphia jazz educator. Markey feels that “in order to strengthen our city, we need to strengthen our community.” Markey advocates this philosophy through his weekly jazz jam session at The El Bar, recently featuring Philly artists John Swana, Lucas Brown, and Hailey Brinnel.Markey has recorded with the Temple University jazz orchestra, the Lucas Brown Septet, and Sean Bailey’s Corporate Responsibility; as a songwriter he has recorded with his band Shoot The Messenger, in the studio mostly recently in winter of 2023. Sean also teaches guitar through Settlement Music School and works with Musicopia, bringing music to underserved schools.Hear Sean's excellent music with Shoot the Messenger here and here

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 | MIKE ALBRECHT & THE KELTONES
7p doors open | 7:30p music

Versatile and accomplished player Mike Albrecht convenes The Keltones to bring you a unique musical groove infused with traditional Irish, blues, jazz and funk.

check out this brilliant moment with Philly Jazz Ellliott Levin

lovely notes from Mike and friends at an Irish session

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 | CORNER HOUSE
7p doors open | 7:30p music

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 | THE FAIRMOUNT STRING QUARTET
7 pm doors | 7:30 pm show

The Fairmount String Quartet brings a mix of classical, pop, folk, and Latin-flavor music — curated just for us at Corner House Concerts!Described as “likable and warmhearted” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, and “expert to the point of perfection” by the Chestnut Hill Local, the Fairmount String Quartet — Rachel Segal and Leah Kyoungwoon Kim, violins; Beth Dzwil, viola; Mimi Morris Kim, cello — has been active in the Philadelphia chamber music scene since 1984.The Fairmount String Quartet is dedicated to bringing the intimacy and vitality of chamber music to diverse audiences, and accessibility and education are core parts of their mission. They are committed to performing works of historically under-performed composers in addition to those in the standard repertoire. They are the ensemble-in-residence at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Philadelphia.Though classically trained, the musicians of the Fairmount String Quartet are fascinated by many genres of music. Their debut pop album Spoken with Strings is available on all major streaming platforms. Scheduled to release on February 3rd, their second album Unleashed features classical music by women composers.Check out selections from Spoken with Strings and more!

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Super excited to present this amazing fiddle/cello duo with their high-energy traditional tunes and songs, with vocal harmonies, lively stepdancing, and Québécois foot percussion.

Fleur Reels—Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira, with Adam Dobres

SUNDAY, APRIL 3 | MAGGIE'S BOOTS, with Hollis Payer, Rob Curto & Melissa Brun

Traditional Irish tunes and original music, all with a unique groove!Together since 2018, this Philadelphia-based band features Hollis Payer on fiddle, Rob Curto on button accordion and Melissa Brun on cello.Check out their terrific music here and here and here.Find Maggie's Boots at home, and on Facebook.Save your seat! (we need to have your registration in advance—thanks!)

• Music

**SUNDAY, MARCH 13 | JULIE SNYDER, soprano & JOANNA GATES, mezzo-soprano: LE TOMBEAU DES NAÏADES **
with CATHY MAZZA, collaborative pianist

Inspired by Claude Debussy’s Le tombeau des naïades from Chansons de Bilitis.The text, taken from a set of poems by Pierre Louys, tells the story of a search in wintertime for the naïads and nymphs in the woods—then, after the despair of learning they are dead, of moving forward to find consolation and hope.The artists chose this poem because it seems to describe how we have functioned in the world in the past few yearsthat—in spite of our search for magic and the despair of not finding it—we are ever hopeful.LE TOMBEAU DES NAÏADESWinter
Fiocca la neve — Pierrot Cimara
Diamonds in the Snow — Jean Sibelius
L’hiver — Charles Koechlin
Must the Winter come so soon? (from Vanessa) — Samuel BarberSearching
Erstarrung (from Winterreise) — Franz Schubert
Where Has Summer Gone? — Ben Moore
Into the night — Clara EdwardsDeath of Magic and Despair
In My Dreams (from Anastasia) — Flaherty/AhrensSleep Is Supposed To Be — Aaron Copland
Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen — Gustav Mahler
Almost Real (from The Bridges of Madison County) — Jason Robert BrownContemplation
Back To Before (from Ragtime) — Flaherty/AhrensThat shadow, my likeness — Ned Rorem
Clair de lune — Claude Debussy
Sunset — John ConahanHope
Espoir — Cécile ChaminadeVåren — Edvard Grieg
When They Come Back — Aaron Copland
No One Is Alone (from Into the Woods) — Stephen Sondheim

ABOUT THE ARTISTSSoprano Julie Snyder excels as an educator, performer, and scholar. As an educator, Dr. Snyder owns and operates Snyder School of Singing in Erdenheim, which offers private voice lessons and voice classes to students of all ages and ability levels. Previously, she served on the adjunct faculty of the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University for seventeen years, and taught private voice (classical and musical theater), class voice, vocal repertoire, music theory, and vocal diction. During that time, she also served as an accompanist and advisor for several courses in the musical theater program. Dr. Snyder has also created and led camps, courses, and workshops for students of all ages at Wyoming Seminary, The Center on the Hill, Abington High School, Parkland High School, Old Pine Presbyterian Church, The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra, The Valley Players of Ligonier, and Actors and Artists of Fayette County. Additionally, Dr. Snyder is a professional-level pianist, vocal coach, and diction coach. Her students have been accepted into top undergraduate, graduate, and Young Artist programs, and have appeared professionally on Broadway, in regional theater and national tours, and with top opera houses and choral ensembles throughout the country.As a performer, Dr. Snyder is equally at home in choral, opera, operetta, musical theater, and recital settings, and has appeared with The New York Philharmonic, Opera Philadelphia, The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Variant 6, The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Chester County, The Philadelphia Gilbert and Sullivan Union, Opera Libera, The Delaware Valley Opera Company, Sarah Brightman in Concert, and The Centre Theater. She currently serves as section leader, soloist, and children’s choir director at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill and recently completed a five-year tenure as a core member of The Crossing.Dr. Snyder’s research in the field of Swedish vocal diction and Swedish art song has been utilized by singers and vocal scholars worldwide. She is also sought as an authority on topics pertaining musical theater pedagogy and repertoire. Dr. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance (summa cum laude) from Susquehanna University, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in voice performance from Temple University. Originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, she now resides in Erdenheim with her two children, Wesley and Natalie.
traditions.Joanna Gates, mezzo-soprano, is an accomplished solo and ensemble singer and teacher who performs a wide range of vocal repertoire. Joanna has been praised for her “dazzling, florid technique and eloquent phrasing” on the operatic stage and in the concert hall. Recent solo performances include: Leucosia in the world premiere and recording of The Wake World by David Herzberg with Opera Philadelphia and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with Opera Box. Other notable roles include the title role in Rossini’s Cinderella, Dido in Dido and Aeneas with Opera Box, Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Zita in Gianni Schicchi. In concert Ms. Gates has been a mezzo-soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem, the Duruflé Requiem, Messiah, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and has performed in recitals and chamber ensembles throughout the region.
Joanna is a core member of The Crossing, the two time Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble, fully dedicated to the performance of new music. She has recorded over 20 albums with The Crossing. Joanna can be seen performing in the area with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Box, The Mastersingers of Wilmington, and The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. Joanna lives in Delaware with her husband and son and teaches voice and violin lessons at Sanford School.

Get on the waiting list for LUKE BULLA Wednesday, April 16 —
let us know how many seats you want!