Off the Avenue: Presenting the presenters
* Ars Nova Workshop: Jazz and improvised music. Mark Christman spent his years at Drexel University commuting to New York to see jazz artists in the then-thriving downtown scene. After graduation, he became involved in the local jazz community, hoping to bring more of that music to Philadelphia.
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Ars Nova Workshop: Jazz and improvised music
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Mark Christman spent his years at Drexel University commuting to New York to see jazz artists in the then-thriving downtown scene. After graduation, he became involved in the local jazz community, hoping to bring more of that music to Philadelphia.
In just under eight years, Ars Nova Workshop has become one of the most respected and innovative cultural organizations in the city, largely on the strength of Christman's curatorial vision and dedication - and lots of volunteer hours. Ars Nova presents 40 to 50 concerts a year and has fruitful partnerships with venues such as International House and the Rotunda.
COMING UP
Mary Halvorson Trio (jazz), Phillip Greenlief (solo saxophone) and Jeremiah Cymerman's Silence and Solitude (experimental), 8 p.m. Thursday, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., free.
Guy Klucevsek and Alan Bern (accordion duo), 8 p.m. Feb. 22, Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce streets, $15.
* Bowerbird: Experimental music and dance.
Founded in February 2006, Bowerbird has already grown out of the record stores and coffeehouses where it first held shows and into a variety of art galleries and historic homes.
In less than two years, the organization has presented almost 150 shows, usually featuring two to four artists.
Founder Dustin Hurt has a classical music background, having studied composition prior to discovering experimental music. Hurt furthered his influence on the community when he took the reins of venerable new-music ensemble Relache earlier this year.
"Overnight," he said, "I went from being the executive director of a small, obscure organization to being the executive director of the oldest new-music organization in the city. It changed everyone's perception of what Bowerbird was, simply by association."
COMING UP
"New Idioms," Andrea Neumann, Stephane Rives, Jack Wright, Benito Cereno (experimental), 8 p.m. Thursday, Gershman Y, Borowsky Gallery, 401 S. Broad St., $10. www.bowerbird.org.
* Crossroads: Traditional world and folk music.
Crossroads Music grew out of the Cherry Tree Music Co-op, an organization that presented regular Sunday night folk concerts at St. Mary's Church in West Philly for almost 30 years.
Crossroads began as a collaboration between Cherry Tree and the Calvary Center for Culture and Community, itself a partnership between West Philly's Calvary United Methodist Church and community members, to present monthly double bills of music from diverse Philadelphia communities or musical traditions.
When Cherry Tree disbanded in 2003, Crossroads became an autonomous program of the Calvary Center and finally a separate organization in September 2007.
Crossroads has presented concerts in other venues, such as International House, when size demands are too much or when a concert has to take place on a Sunday, when Calvary is functioning as a church. Crossroads presents about 15 concerts a year.
Daniel Flaumenhaft, Crossroads' director, hopes to grow the organization both at Calvary and elsewhere, so that touring world-music acts that can't necessarily fill the Kimmel or Annenberg centers and who now bypass Philadelphia have somewhere to play.
COMING UP
Unidos da Filadelfia (Brazilian samba) and What Cheer? Brigade (19-piece brass street-band), Calvary Church, 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.
_ Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Classical chamber music, recitals.
PCMS was founded in 1986 by Anthony Checchia, who remains artistic director as the organization celebrates its 22nd season.
From its initial seven-concert program, the group has expanded to present roughly 60 concerts a year, including small jazz, piano and vocal series. While the Kimmel is the music society's home base, concerts happen in nine different venues around the city.
COMING UP
Kenny Garrett Quartet (jazz), Gershman Hall, University of the Arts, 401 S. Broad St., 8 tonight, $22.50.
Piotr Anderszewski (classical piano), Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Monday, $22.50.
philadelphiachambermusic.org.
* R5 Productions: Indie rock, punk, hard-core.
Far and away the busiest independent promoter in the city, R5 began in 1996 with seven shows, which has grown enormously to 285 in 2007. Founder Sean Agnew hopes to scale back a bit from that height, focusing on fewer shows with more attention paid to promoting lesser-known artists.
The only for-profit organization of the group, R5 lives on ticket sales.
Agnew has devoted himself to R5's promotion full time since 2000, aided by volunteers and part-time employees who work only at shows.
COMING UP
WonkaVision Magazine Presents . . . The Audition (dance-rock-pop), Envy On The Coast (emo), Danger Radio ('80s-inspired rock), Another Day Late (pop-emo), First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 7:30 tonight, $12, all ages.
Pissed Jeans (garage rock), Food for Animals (hip-hop), Mi Ami (disco fizz), 9 p.m. tomorrow, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $8 in advance, $10 day of show, 21+.
- Shaun Brady