It was billed as a Party of Note, and it was indeed one of the most noteworthy soirees this city has seen. The benefit musicale held Wednesday for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was not big. Indeed, the intimacy, the feeling of being privy to a remarkable and rare experience, was a major attraction.

There was Joshua Bell, the Grammy Award-winning violinist who is considered among the finest in the world, playing chamber music with members of the PSO in the living room of Murry and Cheri West Gerber's elegant new home. He chatted amiably between movements of Mendelssohn's famous Octet, as did his close friend Christopher Wu, who was joined by Sarah Clendenning and Jennifer Orchard on violin, Tatjana Mead Chamis and Marylene Gingras-Roy on viola and cellists Anne Martindale Williams and David Premo.

Among those listening appreciatively were Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra's new principal guest conductor, and the PSO's composer of the year John Corigliano, who has won Grammys, a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar for his "Red Violin" score (which featured solos by Mr. Bell).

To hear chamber music in a chamber, the way it was meant to be performed, was a treat by itself. That the room was so acoustically responsive, thanks to the tall arched ceiling (the home's architect, Joe St. Jean of Scholz Design in Toledo, was present and a major sponsor for the evening), made the opportunity to be up close and personal even more rewarding.

Before the concert guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres throughout the first floor of the residence. Mr. Gerber, who is chairman and CEO of Equitable Resources, and his new bride (the couple married at Thanksgiving), were gracious hosts who planned a relaxed, convivial gathering.

The evening featured a late supper of comfort foods prepared by the Duquesne Club. A seafood buffet anchored the dining room while hearty beef stew was served from a pot hanging inside the family room fireplace. But the highlight was the study, which had been turned into a sweet shop for the night. Chocolate souffles, fudge hand-made on the spot, gorgeous cupcakes and the best peanut brittle this side of the boardwalk! Among the 60 or so guests at the $500 a ticket affair were Ginny Simmons, Ira and Nanette Gordon, Bev Elliott, Bill and Debbie Demchak, Tom and Dona Hotopp, David and Gabriella Porges, Catherine Loevner, Ralph and Ruth Anne Papa, Lou and Henry Gailliot, Selma Sherman, Tighe and Cathy Freyvogel, Marsha Deaktor, Dr. John and Bonnie Kristofic, Nancy and Jeff Leininger, Melanie and Jim Crockard, Johanna and David O'Loughlin, Ron and Dorothy Chutz, Esther Schreiber, Diana and Joe Rockey, David and Alece Schreiber, Peter Greer and Susan Hogan, Jan and Leslie Swensen, Lennie Vesio, Lisa and Bob Hyland, Charlene and Dominic Petrelli and Kim and Joe Sachse.