High-brow, low-budget: Classical concerts on the cheap

EVERYONE'S SINGING the blues, and not just musicians. Gasoline, rent, fuel, utilities and food are squeezing most people's budgets and eliminating everything that's nonessential.

But for many of us, music is highly essential - an inspiring respite from our ordinary concerns. And how fortunate Philadelphians are that, through this city's artistic diversity, we can experience the best, particularly in the classical genre, without seriously affecting our budget.

A $25 ticket here that would easily cost three times as much up the road at New York's Carnegie Hall or some other renowned venue? We have that. What's more, many superb musicians perform locally for free.

The most recommendable freebies come from our great conservatories, in which classical stars of the future blossom as we listen.

Beginning Oct. 13, you can simply walk into the Monday, Wednesday and Friday concerts at Curtis Institute of Music (1726 Locust St., 215-893-5261) to hear supremely gifted players and varied programs.

In recent years, attendees heard violinist Leila Josefowitz, the three string players of Time for Three, and superstar pianist Lang Lang before their major careers were launched.

Temple University's Boyer College (215-204-7600, www.temple.edu/boyer) offers four stirring free concerts featuring the Temple Symphony Orchestra, led by Luis Biava and featuring graduate soloists. The concerts are held at the Haverford School. Many Temple faculty and visiting artists also perform for free at Rock Hall on Broad Street. This fall, a wealth of faculty pianists, dance ensembles, choruses and chamber ensembles are on the roster.

One Curtis alumna, flutist Mimi Stillman, formed the chamber ensemble called Dolce Suono, which offers four free concerts with major guest artists from the region (267-252-1803, http:// www.mimistillman.org/dolce suono/).

Tempesta di Mare, a chamber orchestra specializing in Baroque music, also has announced a free policy for ages 8-18 years old to its five-concert season (215-755- 8776, www.tempest adimare. org).

There are free-will concerts at many churches. Music is an integral part of the mission at St. Mark's and Holy Trinity Church downtown, First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, and many others throughout the region.

Now you know about the freebies. Anything else at the major arts venues will come at a price, but here are some tips to get you into the show with minimum fiscal pain.

TIP NO. 1: If you're a senior or a student, don't be shy. Pipe up, because there are usually discounts for the asking.

TIP NO. 2: If you use a weekly or a monthly Septa pass, check out www.septapassperks.com to see if there's a concert discount - sometimes 20 to 30 percent.

TIP NO. 3: Try phillyfunsavers. com to see if your show is on the half-price list. Besides classical events, you'll find a smorgasbord of jazz, theater, dance, visual art and other offerings popping up each Wednesday or Thursday.

TIP NO. 4: Go to www.kimmel center.org and print out the seating charts for the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater, plus the Academy of Music. Keep them handy - they'll help you make the best seat selection.

TIP NO. 5: Contact arts organizations and get their brochures so you can plan ahead.

TIP NO. 6: Don't be afraid of those cheap seats at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall or Perelman Theater. The only specific comment I ever could elicit from the late acoustical wizard Russell Johnson, designer of the sound in both halls as well as many others throughout the world, was that sound is always better as you go up.

That means those seats on the second and third tier are a bargain and they may sound the best. You are not going for the view anyway.

The same acoustic rule holds true in the Academy of Music, except that viewing angles from the upstairs sides aren't ideal for opera and ballet as you get closer to the stage.

But the cognoscenti - and even some past board members - have clung to centrally located seats in the high reaches of the family circle (third level) and amphitheater (top level). Keep those seating plans handy.

There are also a few obstructed views behind poles throughout the academy, about which you'll be informed at the ticket window or by phone. Use your seating chart, which clearly shows the obstructed view seats in dark colors.

Now we come to the good part: Where can you go to hear great music for $25 or less (plus those assorted fees).

If you're flexible, you're in luck, thanks to the Philadelphia Orchestra, whose chief conductor and artistic adviser Charles Dutoit arrives Oct. 2. (The orchestra will do several performances later this month with Rossen Milanov conducting - including a free concert at City Hall at 7 p.m. Sept. 23. The official opening night is Oct. 4 at the Kimmel.)

Nearly 100 rush seats for each concert go on sale for $10, 2 1/2 hours before each concert. For an 8 p.m. program, get in line well before 5:30 p.m. and you'll have time to grab a bite before the concert.

The seats could be anywhere in the hall - but you can only buy one ticket per person.

The orchestra also offers a few $10 seats for sale in the third tier, but you're more likely to get them well in advance, and for Thursday, Monday or Tuesday nights.

Kimmel Center Presents (215- 893-1999, www.kimmelcenter. org) also offers some rush $10 seats with the same format, but availability varies because of the enormous diversity of the visiting artists. And check the Web site for free concerts in the Kimmel Center Plaza before some Kimmel Center Presents events.

Depending on the specific concert, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (215-545-5451, www. chamberorchestra.org) will release some $15 tickets an hour in advance of an event. This season, they're offering a free Kimmel Plaza concert an hour before every concert as well.

The Opera Company of Philadelphia (215-893-3600, www.opera philly.org) sells amphitheater seats for $10 - $7 on the sides closer to the stage. "Fidelio" kicks off the season on Oct. 10. Tickets are half-price for remaining seats for students, or for any obstructed-view seat behind a pole. (Check that seating chart!)

One of the best deals anywhere is offered by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society (215-569-8080, www.pcmsconcerts.com), which presents 24 concerts in the Perelman Theater and 36 at other venues. Somehow, Anthony Checchia manages to bring in the world's most acclaimed recitalists, vocalists and chamber music ensembles year after year, and all for a top of $23 (plus that extra $4 and $2 if it's at the Perelman).

Enjoy the society's presentations of the Juilliard, Guarneri, Emerson, Takacs or Tokyo string quartets; pianists such as Richard Goode or Andras Schiff; jazz artists like T.S. Monk and more of the world's top artists. Or head to New York, where - a few days later - these same artists are performing the same programs for a minimum of $50 to $100 or more. And those handling fees are much higher in Manhattan.

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra plays three always-exciting concerts a year at Verizon Hall, with seats for $5, $12 and $25. The first concert is Oct. 20.

Finally, check the Daily News Big Fat Friday entertainment section every week for our critics' picks of the best upcoming events in various music genres. Remember: The arts aren't a luxury; they're spiritual food. *

Send e-mail to dinardt@phillynews.com.