Family and friends gather at Rittenhouse Square for The Silver Ages’ annual performance

Each year The Silver Ages find a date everyone is available to sing beautiful songs A Capella to a small audience at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia. Many of the musicians making up this unique Philly choral group are in other more rock-oriented bands or have their own solo projects they do the rest of the year; band leader Charlie Hall plays drums in The War on Drugs, along with two other members of the Silver Ages. This year’s show, which took place Saturday night, also featured their good friend Anthony LaMarca sing a few songs halfway through the night. 

The doors of the Ethical Society opened on Saturday and a crowd local music fans, family members, and friends found their way to the second floor for drinks and socializing before the singing began. After “cocktail hour,” guests found their seats and Sergio (a relative of the Ages’ Gianmarco Cilli) took the microphone to “pump up the crowd” for the night quiet singing and introduce The Silver Ages. In between songs, Hall talked with the audience bringing some humor and laughter into the night. When it came time to sing a love song, they had an audience member come up to the stage and call his wife and they sang the love song to her. After singing a bunch of songs, the group took a break and Anthony LaMarca came on stage to sing several songs in between The Silver Ages sets.

Anthony LaMarca | Photo by: Ellen Miller | ellencm.com

The Silver Ages performed a variety of songs including compositions written in recent years, during the 1930’s and surrounding years, and dating back to the early 1900’s . They sang short songs such as “Teasin’,” they sang long songs, and songs of varying difficultly levels. While they mostly sang as a group in varying harmonies, several of their songs featured individual solos. The set list mixes together several songs they perform every year including Randy Newman’s “Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father” along with new songs they learn.

Silver Ages | Photo by: Ellen Miller | ellencm.com

Halfway through their second set of songs, Charlie Hall told the audience to look under their chairs; sure enough, several people found a snack or beverage underneath them. While one lucky row received the gift of helping the Silver Ages sing a Swedish song they perform often, others opened their newly found Pringles and Knob Creek and started passing it around the room, as a mid show snack for everyone. While the whole performance was great, the Silver Ages finished the night strong with Eliza Hardy Jones and Anthony LaMarca joining them on stage to sing a Brian Wilson song. Check out a gallery of images from the show below.