Erie Philharmonic and yogaErie blend live music into Yoga at the Warner

The Erie Philharmonic is turning yoga into a night out, and the third year of Yoga at the Warner is already proving the format has real pull. The April 18 Yoga Flow class in the Warner Theatre Rehearsal Hall sold out, with Jill Murphey of yogaErie leading the practice and Ann Yu on violin giving the room a live soundtrack.

That pairing is the point. A standard yoga class becomes something else when it is set inside the Warner Theatre and backed by live music, especially in a venue that hosts more than 150 events a year and serves as home to the Erie Philharmonic at 811 State Street. The collaboration gives the orchestra a way to reach people who may never buy a ticket for a traditional concert, while yogaErie gets a bigger stage than a studio schedule alone can provide.

The spring lineup shows the partnership is more than a one-off experiment. The Philharmonic listed two more 2026 Yoga at the Warner classes, and both were sold out as well. On May 4, Halle Sullivan of Studio Sage will lead Hatha Yoga on the Warner Theatre stage with Andrew Rainbow on piano and Will Teegarden on cello. On May 11, Sydney Lesseski of Studio Sage will lead Yin Yoga in the Warner Theatre Grand Lobby with Jody Guinn on harp.

That range matters. Yoga Flow in the rehearsal hall, Hatha on the stage and Yin in the lobby give each class its own identity, while the live instrumentation changes the feel of the room from one session to the next. It is a cleaner sell than a generic studio class, because the event packages movement, music and venue into one experience.

The demand is not new. Yoga at the Warner has shown up on the Philharmonic calendar in 2024, including a sold-out March 15 class and additional sessions on April 5 and April 27. The program returned in 2025 with classes on January 23, February 6 and February 17, setting up the 2026 run as part of a steady, recurring series rather than a novelty.

Jill Murphey gives the partnership a local anchor. The owner of yogaErie says yoga became a dedicated practice after the birth of her fourth son, and her role in the series makes the collaboration feel rooted in Erie’s own yoga community instead of imported as a one-night stunt. For the Philharmonic, whose mission is to strengthen the local community and region through live orchestra concerts and engaging programs, Yoga at the Warner looks like a practical way to widen the audience without diluting the brand.