PostClassical Ensemble

What people are saying

So many thanks for that most inspiring, capacious evening. With PCE’s usual ability to surprise and delight… that symphony was astonishing…

Kate

Your leadership and dramatic shaping of the Symphony last night was truly masterful - and so inspiring. I know I’ll never forget this experience. Thank you, Maestro!

Chris

I loved the intimacy of the ensemble and the aching beauty of the melody repeating and recurring and turning up where I did not expect it . And I found the quality of the sound thrilling.

That was my take on the concert --that and the tears that it brought to my eyes, simply to be there, to be present at the creation of something so beautiful..

Michaele

What a perfect PCE evening, wonderful concert and lovely gathering

Liz

Angel, You are so musical! I've played the 4th twice, it was the first Mahler I heard as a kid, and I'm invariably disappointed that conductors don't let it breathe. U nailed it.

David

Congratulations again to you and your superb ensemble on a wonderful and provocative performance in the Terrace Theater last evening. As always, we learned something from this concert and it was fun, too.

Alec

Everything about it was sheer delight, including the lively and interesting talk at the end…

Catherine

"Wildly Ambitious"
Anne Midgette

"Invigorating"
Alex Ross

"One of the country's most innovative musical groups"
Phillip Kennicott

Spring Arts Preview

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.

The Prelude: Setting the stage for Amazing Grace

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.

The Prelude: Setting the stage for Entwined: A Double Feature

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.

PCE at Harvard’s "Instituto Cervantes Observatory”

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"

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PCE Makes The Washington Post's Top 10

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!

Thanksgiving Radio Special

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.

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Brazilian Chamber Music Featuring PCE Musicians

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.

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Around Town Best Bets

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.”

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Washington Post Review

"Gil-Ordóñez led the 37-piece ensemble with attentive precision and a lively sense of humor that Petersen carried over to the keyboard."

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Haydn Festival

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