Two Music Pairing Experiences arrive at the Barthelmes Auditorium at the German Society of Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 3, and they are unlike anything else on the Philadelphia events calendar this spring. Conceived by sommelier and drinks author Marnie Old, the format pairs a guided tasting flight — six fine wines in the afternoon, six local craft beers in the evening — with live musical performances chosen specifically to harmonize with each pour. The afternoon session matches international wines with classical piano. The evening session matches local craft brews with a jazz quartet. Each drink is selected to complement the mood and complexity of a specific composition, creating a sensory experience that treats taste and sound as parallel languages.

Wine and Classical Piano: The Afternoon Music Pairing Experience

The first of the two Music Pairing Experiences runs from 1 to 3 p.m. with sommelier Marnie Old guiding a flight of six international wines while pianist Sebastian Picht performs on the German Society’s Bösendorfer semi-concert grand piano. The program moves through a crescendo of compositions by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Ravel spanning three centuries, before closing with more modern works composed by Sebastian’s own grandfather, the renowned pianist and composer Edward Kalendar. Each wine is chosen to harmonize with the specific piece being performed — a pairing approach that goes beyond the usual “red with dinner” conversation and into territory where aroma, body, and acidity interact with tempo, dynamics, and key.

Sebastian Picht is a native Philadelphian born into a family of serious musicians — his mother plays in the Philadelphia Orchestra, his father conducts his own string ensemble. He began piano training at age four and has presented solo recitals in Mexico, Iceland, and Spain, including winning the Absolute Prize at the 2025 Valencia International Piano Academy PRO Competition. This is a young musician performing at an international level in one of the city’s most acoustically rewarding rooms, and the wine flight gives you a reason to sit, listen, and pay attention in a way that a standard recital format rarely achieves.

Beer and Jazz: The Evening Music Pairing Experience

The evening Music Pairing Experience runs from 7 to 9 p.m. with Marnie Old serving as emcee and Victory Brewing Co. co-founder Bill Covaleski guiding a flight of six local craft beers alongside The New Philly Sound, a dynamic jazz quartet organized through The Heart of Jazz nonprofit scholarship program. Covaleski will pour a different local craft beer with each performance, selecting traditional styles that demonstrate key stages of brewing history as well as innovative brews that push the tasting experience into new territory. The quartet features Aidan McKeon on saxophone, Justin Griggs on keyboards, Ry Miller on bass, and Justin Bowden on drums.

Bill Covaleski left a career as a Philadelphia art director to become an apprentice brewer before co-founding Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown in 1996. Victory built its reputation on brands like HopDevil Ale, Prima Pils, and Golden Monkey, and Covaleski now devotes his time to community-minded creative projects like this one. The New Philly Sound reflects Philadelphia’s deep jazz legacy through a rotating collective of the finest university jazz students with roots in the greater Philadelphia area. If you have been following how Philadelphia’s music programming is expanding this spring and summer, this evening session represents the kind of intimate, cross-disciplinary experience that the big outdoor stages cannot replicate.

The Venue for the Music Pairing Experiences

Both Music Pairing Experiences take place in the Barthelmes Auditorium at the German Society of Pennsylvania at 611 Spring Garden Street. The German Society, founded in 1764, is one of Philadelphia’s most under-recognized acoustic venues — a space where the relationship between instrument and room produces the kind of sound quality that larger halls cannot match. The Bösendorfer semi-concert grand piano is a significant instrument in its own right, and hearing it played at this level in a room this intimate is an experience that justifies the ticket price before the first glass is poured.

Pairing Experience tickets are $75 per person and include classroom-style seating in the main auditorium plus the full flight of six wines or beers. These tickets are reserved for adults 21 and over. Concert-only tickets are available at $35 for theater-style balcony seating without beverages — a good option for non-drinkers who want the musical experience alone. Tickets for both Music Pairing Experiences are available at events.ticketleap.com. The afternoon wine and classical piano session runs 1 to 3 p.m. The evening beer and jazz session runs 7 to 9 p.m. Both are on Sunday, May 3.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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