While the government has been offering stimulus packages for only one year, PEOPLES' SYMPHONY CONCERTS has been doing the same for families, students and others on a budget since 1900.

With three packages of six concerts each for as little as $32 or $5.33 per ticket on 12 Saturday nights and $37 or $6.17 on 6 Sunday afternoons, the City's oldest and most beloved concert series offers what the New York Times described as "Top Music for Bottom Dollar."

The series is, in large part, supported by the generosity of the artists, who play for sharply-reduced fees to make their music available to those who might otherwise not be able to hear them. This season will include performances by pianists Leon Fleisher, Ingrid Fliter, Richard Goode, Ukranian prize-winner Alexej Gorlatch and Peter Serkin; such leading string quartets as the Artemis, Belcea, Borealis, Johannes, Juilliard and Takacs; as well as new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird.

The two Saturday night series at 8 PM take place in the historic and acoustically-excellent Washington Irving High School Auditoium at 16th Street and Irving Place - one block East of Union Square.

The Sunday 2 PM concerts are presented at Town Hall at 123 West 43rd Street, also known for it's superb acoustics and as the hall where Isaac Stern, Dame Janet Baker and many other great artists made their debuts. Sat., Oct. 10 at 8 PM - Washington Irving High School - 40 Irving Place & 16th St. (one block East of Union Square)
Parnas-Serkin Trio - Peter Serkin, who played in the series in his teen-age years in the 1960's, will play trios by Beethoven, Ravel, and Brahms with the prize-winning duo of 18 year-old violinist Madlyn and 16 year-old cellist Cicely Parnas. They are the grandaughters of cellist Leslie Parnas, a frequent PSC artist and founding member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Information on artists, programs and order forms for subscriptions at $32 ($5.33 per ticket) for Saturdays at 8 PM and at $37 ($ 6.17 per ticket) for Sundays at 2 PM, as well as single tickets at $ 10 and $ 12 are available from www.pscny.org or 212-586-4680.

Sat., Oct. 17 at 8 PM - Washington Irving High School - 40 Irving Place & 16th St. (one block East of Union Square)
This "dynamic" young quartet and one of Canada's finest makes it's first PSC appearance with works by Beethoven, Respighi and Mendelssohn. Other quartets performing for Peoples' Symphony include a truly international line-up including the Artemis from Germany, Belcea from England, the Johannes and Juilliard from the U.S. and the Takacs, originally from Hungary. Information on artists, programs and order forms for subscriptions at $32 ($5.33 per ticket) for Saturdays at 8 PM and at $37 ($ 6.17 per ticket) for Sundays at 2 PM, as well as single tickets at $10 and $12 are available from www.pscny.org or 212-586-4680.

Sat., Oct. 31 at 8 PM - Washington Irving High School - 40 Irving Place & 16th St. (one block East of Union Square)
The Juilliard Quartet has been playing for Peoples' Symphony Concerts since they formed as a student ensemble. This season they come with a new first violinist Nick Eanet, who joins the ensemble with sterling credentials having served as first violinist of the Cleveland Quartet as well as being a concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Their program includes the Schubert Rosamunde, Bartok Quartet No. 2 and Beethoven Op. 135. Information on artists, programs and order forms for subscriptions at $32 ($5.33 per ticket) for Saturdays at 8 PM and at $37 ($ 6.17 per ticket) for Sundays at 2 PM, as well as single tickets at $10 and $12 are available from www.pscny.org or 212-586-4680.

Sat., Nov. 7 at 8 PM - Washington Irving High School - 40 Irving Place & 16th St. (one block East of Union Square)
Musicians from Marlboro Less than 25% of the pieces explored each summer by the stellar group of resident artists at Vermont's Marlboro Music Festival are performed publicly. A few are deemed so special by Artistic Directors Richard Goode and Mitsuko Uchida that they form the nucleus for programs they send on the Marlboro tours, now in their 45th season. The Mozart Flute Quartet in C Major and Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor works were just such works and they are coupled with short pieces by Saariaho, Takemitsu and Messiaen. The artists are: Cleveland Orchestra Principal Flutist Joshua Smith, violinist Soovin Kim of the Johannes Quartet, ECCO violist Beth Guterman, cellist Priscilla Lee of the Cavatina Trio, which recently won the Naumburg Competition, and pianist Renana Gutman, in the newly-formed piano trio Ensemble Tercatto. Information on artists, programs and order forms for subscriptions at $32 ($5.33 per ticket) for Saturdays at 8 PM and at $37 ($ 6.17 per ticket) for Sundays at 2 PM, as well as single tickets at $10 and $12 are available from www.pscny.org or 212-586-4680.

The Sunday afternoon series at Town Hall opens on February 21 at 2 PM with the Takacs String Quartet and continues the following week with the Artemis Quartet. On March 14th, Leon Fleisher will give a recital focusing on dance-themed works and will be joined in the second half by Katherine Jacobson Fleisher for Dvorak Slavonic Dances Ravel's La Vlase. Menahem Pressler is no longer touring with the Beaux Arts Trio but he will be heard as a guest with the American String Quartet in the Dvorak Piano Quintet on April 11. The following week will bring Indianapolis Competition First Prize-Winner and Marlboro participant Augestin Hadelich and the series will close with a recital by Ingrid Fliter.

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2009