Philharmonie Austin presents Pulcinella

Philharmonie Austin is playing at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on Friday, October 16, with conductor and cellist Mark Dupere leading the ensemble. The program is built around Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite, which shares the bill with Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 and Maurice Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, M.68a.

If you're not familiar with the group, Philharmonie Austin is a period-instrument orchestra, meaning they play on instruments that match the era of the music they're performing rather than using modern versions. They've been bringing that period-performance approach to Austin for more than twenty years, drawing on generations of research into how this music was originally played. It's a specific way of hearing these pieces—often leaner and more transparent than what you'd get from a standard symphony orchestra.

Mark Dupere is a cellist as well as a conductor, and he's the one leading the night. He's an Associate Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies at Lawrence University Conservatory, and he's played cello with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Haagsche Hofmuziek, and Anima Eterna. He trained as an apprentice with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London and was named a national finalist in the American Prize in Conducting.

The concert runs from 7:30 to 9:30 PM at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Avenue, Austin, TX 78702. Tickets are $40 general, $35 for seniors 60+, and $10 for students.