Tag Archives: kimmel center

World Class PCMS for $23 or Less

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society takes pride in bringing local, national and international stars of the music world to stages throughout Philadelphia for affordable prices, and we’re talking world-class acts for $23 or less. Picture 30

PCMS presents more than 60 chamber music concerts, instrumental and vocal recitals, jazz and special programs per season with some of the most prestigious musicians in the world, like the Tokyo Quartet and violinist Midori. As a resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, PCMS performs mainly in the Perelman Theater on Broad Street, but also presents in other venues across the city. PCMS also collaborates regularly with prominent cultural institutions, like Juilliard, and presents education programs to help bring classical music into the lives of the younger generation.

Whether you’re in the mood for piano, a string quartet or a stellar tenor, there will be something on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society season that will delight you…and it will cost less than that sirloin you ordered the night before.

Kimmel Center: All-Star on Avenue of the Arts

Picture 15To witness the finer side of performing arts, the Kimmel Center is the place to be in Center City. The Kimmel is operating multiple venues (the Academy of Music and Merriam Theater, along with its namesake venue The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts) on the Avenue of the Arts. There are not many places in the area where you could witness everything from Neko Case to Lyle Lovett to The Vienna Philharmonic.

The Academy of Music, one of Philadelphia’s oldest and most prestigious theaters, showcases one of the most robust Broadway series outside of New York City. With offerings like Dream Girls and the revival of South Pacific, there is a show for every taste. The Kimmel Center’s in-house presenter hosts a variety of programming every year with some of the most respected and revered musicians, dancers and performers in the world. And for those who don’t like the commitment, there are informal free performances in the beautiful, expansive lobby every Friday night.

If you enjoy the art of a building as opposed to a performance, the Kimmel Center is one of the most famous designs from architectural designer Rafael Viñoly. The building is an entire city block of vaulted glass roof and makes any first-time visitor gasp in amazement.

Opera Company of Philadelphia Is Toast of “Opera Town”

Picture 27The Opera Company of Philadelphia, or OCP, knows Philly has always been a town dedicated to the arts, and even more so an Opera Town. Gearing up for its 35th Anniversary next season, OCP is continuing to do exciting full-length operas of traditional and new repertoire along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts.

OCP performs at the beautiful Academy of Music and in the Kimmel Center’s smaller Perelman Theater, letting patrons see large-scale productions as well as more intimate shows. With a focus on developing talent, the performers in OCP’s productions are all top notch. For example, in 1980 OCP began a long-standing relationship with Luciano Pavarotti, establishing a competition that seeks out the best young voice talent.

In addition to the performances, OCP features pre-concert lectures and Opera-enrichment programs in hopes that the love of opera will carry on through the generations. The Opera also puts on a full-length opera every year with the students at Philadelphia’s renowned music school The Curtis Institute of Music.

Veteran Conductor Elevates the Philadelphia Orchestra

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The Philadelphia Orchestra is internationallyPicture 11 regarded as one of the best symphony orchestras in the world, but more likely you’ve heard them as the orchestra in Walt Disney’s Fantasia.

Putting on seasonal performances and even an annual concert series at the historic Carnegie Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra is lead by veteran Conductor Charles Dutoit, who has an impressive resume previously conducting the Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras. Basically, this conductor has seen and heard it all.

The Philadelphia orchestra has released dozens of album recordings, including the work of Beethoven, Rimsky Korsakov, Saint-Saëns, and Mozart. When not touring internationally,  the Philadelphia can be heard at the historic Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Philadelphia.