On Saturday, 7 February 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Lansdale’s Calvary Baptist Church experience the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra and the heroic grandeur of Beethoven’s immortal Emperor Piano Concerto with internationally noted Pianist Young-Ah Tak and then embrace the romance, drama, and heartbreak of Prokofiev’s gripping score to Romeo & Juliet.
As one of the region’s only professional orchestras in southeastern Pennsylvania, the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Symphony Orchestra launched its 54th season in October, and tickets for the Masterworks Concert Series on
Saturday evenings and the Chamber Music Concert Series on Sunday afternoons are available. The
Masterworks Concert Series features world renowned soloists and great symphonic music from Mozart and
Mahler to Prokofiev, Copland, Schubert, and Ravel, along with world renowned soloists such as acclaimed Soprano Leah Partridge, celebrated Pianist Young-Ah Tak, and internationally renowned Cellist Ovidiu Marinescu.
According to the story, a French army officer stationed in Vienna attended the first performance of the Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto in the Austrian capital and was so moved by the grandeur of Beethoven’s music that he cried out: “C’est l’empereur!” (“It is the Emperor!” – referring to Napoleon). “Despite the unfortunate political connotation at the time, ‘Emperor’ does not seem an inappropriate title for the E-flat Piano Concerto as it has a wonderful expression of majesty and heroism, and it retains an imperious position among compositions in its genre even today,” explains Music Director Allan R. Scott.
Praised for her “thrilling blend of fury and finesse” (San Antonio Express-News) and her “winning combination of passion, imagination, and integrity” (New York Concert Review), Pianist Young-Ah Tak enjoys a
remarkable career that has taken her throughout the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, Italy, Korea, and Japan. Ms. Tak made her New York City debut at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Orchestra. She has since appeared with numerous orchestras including the Roanoke, Lansing, North Arkansas, Orchestra of Northern New York, Venice, Imperial, Filharmonia Pomorska (Poland), Oltenia Philharmonic (Romania). In her native South Korea, she has appeared with the Korean Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Seongnam, Busan, KNN, and Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestras. Other notable performances by Ms. Tak have taken place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Kimmel
Center, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Ravinia Festival. Ms. Tak received her training from The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where she earned her doctorate degree.
Serge Prokofiev’s most successful dramatic work is certainly his score to the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and he stated that “I have taken great pains to achieve a simplicity which will, I hope, reach the hearts of all listeners.” This is truly an understatement. Prokofiev not only depicts Shakespeare’s timeless story, but he creates an experience that draws in the listener to the innocent love of the characters and most notably, the almost unbearable heartbreak and tragedy of the young couple. The lyrical beauty and tragic power of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is simply overwhelming at times, and because audiences know the ending to the story there seems to be a nostalgia that exists throughout the score that is hauntingly heart-breaking.
Calvary Baptist Church has one of the best venues for music. From the accessibility of the venue and generous parking to the incredible acoustics and large seating area, Calvary Baptist Church makes for one of the finest performance venues in the region.
Calvary Baptist Church is located at 1380 S. Valley Forge Road, Lansdale, PA.
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