Philly Street Strings
Philly Street Strings is the brainchild of Dr. Stanley Chepaitis and Swana Chepaitis. They first conceived the idea during the dark days of the pandemic. The opportunity for a first concert came about with the help of the Indiana Arts Council. It took place on January 27, 2024 in the beautiful downtown Indiana Theater. Their long years of working with established regional music groups and with the IUP Music Department enabled them to select local and regional professional musicians who would share their commitment to artistic excellence, collaborative effort, and forming a musical community.
14 Musicians
Members of Philly Street Strings produce dynamic performances without the need for a conductor. They do this through interaction and communication, and a joint understanding of the wide range of music that they offer in concert.
Community Involvement
We are also committed to involvement with the greater community. We have presented performances that have included Indiana High School Choir and Orchestra students and we have plans to expand our community outreach in the future.
New Challenges
Now entering its third concert season, Philly Street Strings is looking forward to new challenges, new repertoire, and to the excitement of presenting our music to our region’s gracious and enthusiastic audiences. We are eager to continue this year and beyond.
Dr. Stanley Chepaitis
Co-Founder & Director, Composer, Violinist
Dr. Chepaitis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and a Master of Music, as well as a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. He is a versatile performing and recording artist who is at home in a classical string quartet, a jazz band, and anything in between. His career spans fifty years in which time he has performed Nationally and Internationally, composed and premiered his own works, and recorded seven CDs mostly of original music. Dr. Chepaitis has been at the forefront of the Alternative Styles Movement having had a leading role in the ASTA Alternative Styles Conferences in ’03,’05, 06, ’07, and ’08.
Swana Chepaitis
Co-Founder & Director, Violinist
Swana Chepaitis is an accomplished violinist and private studio teacher in Indiana, PA. She earned her degree in Violin Pedagogy and Performance in 1995 from the Conservatory for the Arts in Bremen, in her native Germany. She then studied historic performance praxis with Christoph Heidemann in Hanover, Germany, and played with the baroque orchestra L’Arco for many years.
Swana moved to Indiana PA in 1997, where she and Stanley raised a family together. Swana has maintained an active violin studio in Indiana for over 25 years, passing on the art of playing the violin to students of all ages.
Swana is a member of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. Along with Stanley, she also performs with their professional string quartet, the Kalnas Ensemble.