It’s not often that you can see a Grammy Award-winning group perform live for free, right in your own neighborhood—so be sure to catch St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble next month at your local library. 

As part of St. Luke’s Subway Series, the ensemble’s wind quintet will play a selection of short works, opening with Six Bagatelles by Ligeti, one of the most important avant-garde composers of the 20th century. Each movement in this piece reveals a different character, including the wild finale, which was originally censored by the Soviet government. In contrast, the Pastorale by American composer Amy Beach evokes a peaceful summer afternoon in nature. Aires Tropicales by Cuban-born Paquito D’Rivera is a rhythmic work that fuses Latin and jazz influences, and Barber’s Summer Music gives each of the five instruments a moment in the spotlight with beautiful, lyrical melodies. The lighthearted Scherzo by Eugène Bozza will bring the program to a lively conclusion.

These concerts are known as St. Luke’s Subway Series because one performance takes place in each of the five boroughs. St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble will appear at the New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in Manhattan on Saturday, September 13 at 2:30 p.m.; Central Library in Brooklyn on Sunday, September 14 at 3:00 p.m.; Belmont Library in the Bronx on Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m.; Richmondtown Library in Staten Island on Saturday, September 20 at 2:00 p.m.; and the Library at Flushing on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m.. At each of the concerts, audience members may visit the St. Luke’s table to sign a letter to the mayor supporting libraries in our communities.