Based in Philadelphia, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra was founded in 2007 and is the only professional orchestra in the region, and one of few in the country, to champion ethnic diversity in classical music.

Founded by award-winning Music Director Jeri Lynne Johnson, one of the only African-American women conductors on the scene today, the BPCO is dedicated to normalizing minority participation in classical music.  This mission is achieved by presenting concerts and innovative community programs of the highest artistic and educational standard, performed by ethnically diverse musicians who represent Philadelphia's rich cultural diversity.

Described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “excellent,” and having an “impressive standard of performance,” BPCO musicians were trained at many of the nation’s leading music conservatories, including The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute, and The Eastman School of Music, among others.

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Why “Black Pearl”?

The name of the ensemble is a translation into English from the term Baroque, derived probably from the ancient Portuguese noun barroco which is a pearl of unpredictable and elaborate shape.

Chamber orchestras were the instrumental ensemble of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries - the height of the Baroque era in music. The core ensemble consists of 20 string players, oboes, bassoons, horns, and a keyboard player. These players can perform the majority of the masterworks of the Baroque and Classical eras. But, just like the barroco, the BPCO can modify the structure of the ensemble to accommodate the unique instrumentation of modern masterworks as well.

The BPCO often uses a “concerto/soloist” format; that is, musicians in the ensemble have the unique opportunity to let their solo talents shine and return the favor to their colleagues as ensemble players.

The Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra is a roster ensemble of Pennsylvania Performing Artists on Tour (PennPAT). PennPat offers support for tour engagements to presenters in DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VA, WV and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To learn more visit PennPAT's website.