Please consider supporting a vital recording project honoring the memory and celebrating the legacy of Bob Capanna (1952–2018).

The year before he passed, Bob created a brilliant work for PRISM and string quintet (drawn from the Network for New Music ensemble) called Piccolo Concertante. PRISM premiered the work at a concert presented by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in 2017. You may hear an excerpt HERE.

In 2025, PRISM will release a studio recording of the work on XAS Records, distributed worldwide by Symphonic and Naxos Music Library. It is an extraordinary piece of music, one that we believe the world should hear, and a testament to Bob’s gifts as a composer. The project is also a family affair: Bob’s daughter Mariel, a brilliant visual artist, is contributing an image of one of her paintings for the album cover.

We hope you might lend support to this beautiful project with a tax-deductible donation.

About Bob

Bob was a giant in Philadelphia’s music community. A recipient of the Koussevitzky Prize, he was a superb composer who brought artistic creativity to every facet of his work. In addition to writing for the Philadelphia Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Mendelssohn Quartet, and many other major ensembles and artists, he created three extraordinary works for PRISM. Bob also worked in philanthropy, serving as president of both the Presser Foundation and Musical Fund Society. Most recently, he was a director at Prudent Management Associates.

But Bob was most widely known for his visionary leadership of Settlement Music School, where he was executive director from 1982–2009. He oversaw the exponential expansion of Settlement’s student body with the addition of three new branches, and a deepening of the school’s programs. He was especially committed to developing financial support for low-income children, ensuring that money was never a barrier to taking music lessons at Settlement.

Beginning in the 1980s, Settlement became a second home to PRISM, and an essential partner in presenting our performances and educational programs. In 2007, Bob joined PRISM’s board of directors as chair. He was pivotal to the group’s development as a professionally-staffed nonprofit organization, which transformed the scale and ambition of our work.

It’s impossible to know how many lives Bob touched, but his impact was profound and undeniable. He was charismatic, had a wicked sense of humor, and gave of himself fully and without hesitation to make all of us around him better artists and teachers, and most importantly, better human beings.

PRISM is committed to honoring Bob’s legacy and will continue to share his wonderful music with the world.