Week of April 24-30, 2025

By Aidan Carney

Buffalo’s vibrant music scene offers something for everyone in the coming days, rich orchestral sounds of Eastern European masters to a melding of Johann Sebastian Bach and John Coltrane. Whether you’re looking for an intimate club setting or the grandeur of the concert hall, mark your calendars for these exciting events happening tonight and later this week.

BPO Presents Dvořák Symphony No. 6 & More at Kleinhans

Later this week, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), under the baton of Music Director JoAnn Falletta, invites audiences on a captivating musical journey through Eastern Europe at Kleinhans Music Hall. The program features:

Béla Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite: This powerful ballet score is known for its pulsating energy and exotic sounds.

Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto: Acclaimed violinist Andrea Cicalese, renowned for his “exquisite lyricism and technical precision,” this work, blending Russian romanticism with virtuosic demands.

Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6: The concert culminates with this beautiful symphony, deeply infused with the melodies and folk spirit of Dvořák’s Czech homeland.

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This celebration of Eastern European musical heritage is offered twice:

• Morning Matinee Performance: Friday, April 25, 10:30 am
• Saturday, April 26th @ 7:30 pm

Cicalese is also offering a free violin master class with on Friday night with local violin students in front of a live audience. It’s at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but reservations are required. Check HERE to see if tickets are still available. The master class is at the Clement House, 786 Delaware Ave.

It’s a busy week at the University at Buffalo’s Slee Hall with a couple of big events. The biggest is a performance of UB Professor Jeffrey Scott’s “Passion for Bach and Coltrane” tomorrow (Friday, April 25) at 7:30 p.m. in the Lippes Concert Hall at Slee. Admission is $20.

The Grammy-winning composition is an hour-long presentation described as an eight-movement suite for Wind Quintet, String Quartet, Jazz Trio and Orator.  Texts are by poet A.B. Spellman. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7.

Performers will include the Imani Winds (Brandon Patrick George, flute; Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe; Kevin Newton, French horn; Mark Dover, clarinet; Monica Ellis, bassoon) and the Harlem Quartet (Ilmar Gavilán & Melissa White, violin; Jaime Amador, viola; Felix Umansky, cello).

On Sunday, the same room will see the UB Guitar Extravaganza Plus, feauring UB faculty, students and special guests. Admission is free and performances will be from 3 to 5 p.m.

Buffalo Stringworks will be hosting a Myanmar Earthquake Relief Benefit Saturday (April 26) at 11 a.m. at Asbury Hall, 341 Delaware Ave. Live music, dance and food will be on the menu to benefit Community Partners International.

Looking forward:

The Buffalo Chamber Players will return next Wednesday (April 30) with their latest “Bach & Brews” in the 9th Ward at Babeville. They’ll be featuring the “Gamba Sonatas” (Sonata No. 1 in G major, BWV 1027; Sonata No. 2 in D major, BWV 1028; Sonata No. 3 in G minor, BWV 1029) in a tavern setting.

The groups says that “Bach & Brews” was “inspired by gatherings organized by Johann Sebastian Bach at Café Zimmermann, a bustling cultural establishment in 18th century Leipzig where Bach premiered many of his secular works.”

General Admission is $23 advance, $25 day of show.

Off the Classical Path:

Tonight: Feel the Rhythm with Guabaza at Pausa Art House (UPDATE: Sold out)

Pausa Art House hosts Guabaza tonight (April 24) for an evening dedicated to energetic Latin Jazz. From 7 to 10 p.m., the band will showcase its unique sound, skillfully fusing traditional jazz elements with vibrant Afro-Caribbean rhythms and soulful blues influences. Pausa Art House, known for its intimate atmosphere and dedication to jazz and world music, provides the perfect setting for this dynamic performance.

Tickets are $18-$24. Tickets & Info: Visit the Pausa Art House website.