“Silence . . . is the essence of the music itself, the vital ingredient that makes it possible for the music to exist at all.” —Alfred Brendel
While no Phillips Music concert season is limited to a strict theme, this season’s musicians and the music share a common thematic thread of works that celebrate the silences within music on many levels. Music without silence is like a painting without a canvas, the former dependent upon the latter. Silence has the power to captivate us; it can leave us hanging in suspense or force us to reflect on what we have experienced. We encourage our concert goers this season to focus on the impact of silence, to explore how the absence of a medium—be it sound waves or brushstrokes—resonates with or challenges our perceptions of art.
We look forward to seeing you this season.
Caroline Mousset, Director of Music
General admission seating is first-come, first-served beginning 45 minutes prior to concert start time. Tickets are $40, $20 for members and students with ID unless otherwise noted; museum admission for that day is included. Advance reservations are strongly recommended; tickets can be reserved online until 12 hours before each concert.
Please note ticket release schedule listed here. Season Sponsors and Chamber Society members may reserve in advance for any concert of the 2017/2018 season beginning August 15.
The San Francisco based Alexander String Quartet will perform works by Kodály, Shostakovich, and a new quartet by British composer Tarik O’Reagan in their Phillips Music debut.
Cellist Seth Parker Woods will make his DC debut with J.S. Bach's first cello suite and three DC premieres of works by Jurg Frey, Claudio Gabriele, and Monty Adkins.
Victor Julien-Laferrière, 2017 Grand Prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, and his pianist Guillaume Bellom will make their US debut with works by Beethoven, Escaich, Martinů, and Mozart
Alexi Kenney and Renana Gutman will make their Phillips debut with works by Nicola Matteis, Franz Schubert, J.S. Bach, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Ottorino Respighi.
Vadim Gluzman and Angela Yoffe will make their Phillips Music debut with works by Arvo Pärt, Richard Strauss, Igor Stravinsky, Ernest Bloch, and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.
The Dublin Guitar Quartet will make their Phillips Music return with works by Phillip Glass, Rachel Grimes, Marc Mellits, and Bryce Dessner among others.
The Multi-Media Cabaret, Late Night with Leonard Bertstein, will make its DC debut at the Phillips as part of a DC-citywide centennial celebration of Leonard Bertstein's 100th birthday.
Stephen Kovacevich will make his return to the Phillips with works by J.S. Bach, and Beethoven.
Tickets not yet available
Preserving the Music Room
The original Phillips family house is currently undergoing a preservation project until early 2018. The project is carefully designed to enhance the 1897 building’s historic character and preserve the museum’s celebrated collection for years to come.
As the Phillips’s Music Room is unavailable during the project, Sunday Concerts from October through the completion of the project will take place next door at the historic Cosmos Club’s elegant Beaux Arts Warne Ballroom, located at 2121 Massachusetts Ave, NW. Will call tickets can be claimed at the Cosmos Club.
A music documentary about Olivier Messiaen’s transcendent masterpiece, that he composed in a World War II prison camp, and debuted there on January 15, 1941. This film was completed on the 75th Anniversary of that historic premiere, and features “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band Ensemble performing in rehearsal and at The Phillips Collection. Created by H. Paul Moon.
Some of the world's leading pianists have played The Phillips Collection's Steinway Concert D 542016, but they started hearing something wrong with it: the soundboard. This half-hour documentary—named for the spruce wood that replaced the soundboard—tells the story of tearing the piano apart and bringing it back to life. Along the way, we learn how a piano works and witness the consummate art of restoration by PianoCraft. Rising international star Olivier Cavé puts it to the test in this cinematic music documentary by filmmaker H. Paul Moon.
“Silence . . . is the essence of the music itself, the vital ingredient that makes it possible for the music to exist at all.” —Alfred Brendel
The original Phillips family house is currently undergoing a preservation project until early 2018. The project is carefully designed to enhance the 1897 building’s historic character and preserve the museum’s celebrated collection for years to come.
