For a magical organization that has brought the best music at affordable prices to music-lovers on a limited budget for more than half the existence of our country, Peoples' Symphony Concerts has many great stories to tell.  Some will come to you through our newsletters but below you will find some highlights and a partial list of the amazing artists who have generously come to share their music with our audience for far below their normal fees.  You'll see why the New York Times calls PSC "essential" and proclaims that it offers "Carnegie Hall-quality artists for less than a Manhattan movie ticket."

The generosity of the artists who come for substantially reduced fees and contributions from those of us who are able help us maintain our low ticket prices that make great music available to everyone - the mission of our founder Franz X. Arens, who like so many of us, was a child of immigrants.  Throughout its history, PSC has always had a commitment to not only present the master artists of the time but also to introduce outstanding young musicians with the potential of becoming future leaders. Just a few examples of artists in their early twenties that our subscribers got to 'discover' - Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Lang Lang, Paul Lewis, and Andras Schiff.

Our large and grateful audience of musical enthusiasts (for many, the concerts are an essential part of their lives) creates a special family atmosphere that is an attraction for the artists.  It's where people can share the joy of music together with friends and family.

a PARTIAL list of artists presented by PSC:

Mieczyslw Munz,  Sascha Gordonittzki, Guiomar Novaes, Harold Bauer, Simon Barrere, Harold Samuel, Josef & Rosina Lhevinne, Percy Grainger, Moritz Rosenthal, Ignaz Friedman, Vronsky-Babin Duo, Claudio Arrau, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, Robert Casadesus, Rudolf Serkin, Shura Cherkassky, Wanda Landowska, Witold Malcuzynski, Gina Bachauer, Samson Francois, Byron Janis, Nikita Magaloff, Benno Moiseivitsch, William Kapell, Annie Fischer, Daniel Barenboim, Jorge Bolet, Alicia De Larrocha, Christoph Eschenbach, Gary Graffman, Leon Fleisher, Eugene Istomin,  Claude Frank, Malcolm Frager, Lili Kraus, Peter Serkin, Abbey Simon, Tamas Vasary, Emanuel Ax,  John Browning, Richard Goode, David Bar-Illan, Grant Johannesen, Joseph Kalichstein, Anton Kuerti, Lee Luvisi,  Russell Sherman, Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Peter Serkin, Stephen Hough, Andras Schiff, Jean-Yves Thibaudet,  Lang Lang,  Kirill Gerstein, Paul Lewis, Helene Grimaud, Jeremy Denk, Misha Dichter, Horacio Guttierez, Jeffrey Kahane, Lillian Kallir, Zoltan Kocsis, Cecile Licad, Ken Noda, Andre-Michel Schub, Sara (David) Beuchner, Bella Davidovich, Till Felner, Stephen Hough, Stephen Kovacevich, Elisabeth Leonskaja,  Anton Nel, Christopher O’Riley, Andras Schiff,  Ignat Solzhenitsyn, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lars Vogt, Joaquin Achucaroo, Lief Ove Andsnes,  Joanthan Biss, Arnaldo Cohen, Jeremy Denk,  Lise de la Salle, Lang Lang,  Simone Dinnerstein, Vladimir Feltsman,   Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Kirill Gerstein, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Paul Lewis, Yevgeny Sudbin, Behzod Abduraimov, Anna Federova,  Zoltan Fejervari, Helene Grimaud, Benjamin Grosvenor,  Vadym Kholodenko , Alexander Melnikov,  Alexandre Tharaud, Denes Varjon,  Brad Mehldau, Jacky Terrason

Josef Szigeti, Toscha Seidel,  Georges Enesco, Ruggiro Ricci, Efrem Zimbalist, Sascha Jacobsen, Adolf Busch, Nathan Milstein, Roman Totenberg,  Zino Francescatti, Isaac Stern, Erica Morini, Szymon Goldberg, Joseph Fuchs, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Rabin, Pinchas Zukerman,  Kyung-Wha Chung, Miriam Fried, Leonidas Kavakos, Gidon Kremer, Cho-Liang Lin, Alexander Markov, Salvatore Accardo, Jaime Laredo, Joshua Bell, Pamela Frank, Ida Haendel, Young-Uck Kim, Gil Shaham, Kyoko Takezawa, Renaud Capucon, Augustin Hadelich, Jennifer Koh, Ray Chen, Vadim Gluzman, Paul Huang, Stefan Jackiw, Yvgeny Kutik, Anthony Marwood, Christian Tetzlaff,  Itamar Zorman, Renaud Capucon, Augustin Hadelich

CELLISTS:

Cornelius Van Vliet, Emmanuel Feuermann, Gaspar Cassado, Felix Salmond, Raya Garbousava, Marcel Hubert, Joseph Schuster, Pierre Fournier, Leonard Rose, Janos Starker, Leslie Parnas, Robert Sylvester, Yo-Yo Ma, Laurence Lesser, Mischa Maisky, Sharon Robinson, Julian Lloyd Weber, Carter Brey, Lynn Harrell, Anner Bylsma, Jan Vogler, Fridrich Kleinhapl, Peter Wiley, Kian Soltani, Camille Thomas, Steven Isserlis

Amadeus, Budapest, Quartetto Italiano, Alban Berg, Juilliard, Guarneri, Emerson, Flonzaley, Kneisel, Cleveland, Takacs, Tokyo, Artemis, Belcea, Jerusalem, Ebene, Dover, Calidore Quartets

CHAMBER ENSEMBLES & CHAMBER ORCHESTRAS

Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma, Beaux Arts Trio, Borodin Trio,  Buswell-Parnas-Luvisi Trio, Calefax Reed Quintet, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chung Trio, Continuum, Cygnus, eight blackbird, Empire Brass, Goldstein-Peled-Fitterstein Trio, Israel Chamber Project, Junction Trio, Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, Musica Antiqua Koln, Musicians from Marlboro, Nash Ensemble, Opus One, Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, Septura Brass,  Skride Piano Quartet, Joseph Swensen & Jeffrey Kahane, TASHI, Tempest Piano Trio, Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center, Vienna Octet, Windscape, Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Belgrade Chamber Orchestra/Janigro, Berlin Chamber Orchestra, Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Czech Chamber Orchestra, East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO), Israel Camerata, Janacek Chamber Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus, Paillard Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra of Paris, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

OTHER  ARTISTS

Julius Baker, Allison Balsom, Eddie Barbash, Bolcom & Morris, Chanticleer,  Crofut & Luxon, Bernarda Fink, James Galway, Wycliffe Gordon Quintet, Hilliard Ensemble, Heinz Holliger, Sharon Isbin, Klezmer Conservatory Band, Ute Lemper, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Anthony McGill, MILOS, Mark Padmore, Susanna Phillips, John Shirley-Quirk & Leon Fleisher, Sam Reider, Paula Robison, Richard Stoltzman, Dawn Upshaw, Benita Valente, Frederica von Stade, Waverly Consort, Roderick Williams

QUOTES FROM SUBSCRIBERS & PRESS

This note from a longtime subscriber, a retired City university professor, expresses the sentiments of so many members of the PSC Family:

I look forward to attending these concerts knowing that I will enjoy the exceptional performances given by well-known musicians and exciting new musicians, many of whom have eventually become well-known. Part of my enjoyment involves listening to music to which I would not normally be exposed.

For subscribers Stephen & Carol:

We admire your dedication to continuing the work of those founders a century ago who aspired to make high culture available and affordable. We applaud your efforts to support young, astonishingly talented musicians, to reach out to schools and underserved audiences.

For a subscriber whose son came as a toddler and is now a conducting student:

PSC is an incredible resource for classical music lovers, many of whom are students, families and the elderly on fixed incomes… PSC is one of those unknown but wonderful labors of someone’s love in NYC that has persisted despite all sorts of obstacles. It is a gem and I hope it continues forever to provide joy to the people of NY City.

For the New York Times:

Peoples’ Symphony Concerts is Essential - Carnegie Hall-quality artists for less than the price of a Manhattan movie ticket or even a large popcorn.

For New York Magazine:

PEOPLES’ SYMPHONY CONCERTS World-class music for bargain-basement prices has long been the irresistible premise of this series...