Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

PIFA Gathers Momentum with Classical and Not So Classical Music Offerings at the Kimmel Center, April 7 to May 1

MARCH 16, 2011


Composer Jonathan Leshnoff of Hope: An Oratorio

Spring has arrived and with it comes the inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), inspired by the Kimmel Center, taking center stage April 7 to May 1, at venues throughout Philadelphia.   During the festival, trailblazing artists channel the utopian artistic energy permeating in Paris, the City of Lights, circa 1910-1920. 

 

Here, at the Kimmel Center, select Philadelphia arts organizations and world renown performers gather momentum to present highly collaborative, innovative and creative art work on stage, including: the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pennsylvania Ballet working collaboratively together for the first time on a full blown production with new choreography for opening night, a world premiere of an Oratorio combining the powerful vocals of a world pop chanteuse alongside a Belgian jazz singer and an ensemble performance;  the use of puppetry in combination with an ensemble performance of a newly staged production of Stravinsky’s work, and an organ performance shaking it up on stage with actors and video in recreating scenes of Paris.

 

Read on for the hot list of classical (and some not so classical) ticketed performances and events at the Kimmel Center, part of the PIFA lineup that can jumpstart Spring season:

 

Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 7pm

Verizon Hall

Pulcinella Alive

The Philadelphia Orchestra, Rossen Milanov, Conductor

The Pennsylvania Ballet, Jorma Elo, Choreographer

Ticket Price: $43- $120

 

STRAVINSKY: Pulcinella (complete ballet)

FALLA: The Three-Cornered Hat

The Philadelphia Orchestra opens the festival with a program of two masterpieces from Paris during 1910-1920, including a rare collaboration with Pennsylvania Ballet. In 1919 in London, Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes presented the world premiere of the full-length version of Manuel de Falla's ballet The Three-Cornered Hat and the following year in Paris the same company gave the premiere of Stravinsky's commedia dell'arte-inspired Pulcinella. Both works originally featured choreography by Léonide Massine and sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso. In his first collaboration with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Finnish native and Boston Ballet resident choreographer Jorma Elo creates a new ballet to Stravinsky's Pulcinella, to be performed live onstage by the Orchestra and Pennsylvania Ballet. Rossen Milanov, the Orchestra's Bulgarian-born associate conductor, conducts.

Jorma Elo was named Resident Choreographer of the Boston Ballet in 2005, and has become one of the most sought-after choreographers in the United States and Europe.  Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times singled out Elo as a “talent to follow” in 2004.  He has since created numerous works in the United States and internationally, including Slice to Sharp for New York City Ballet, Glowstop and C. to C. (Close to Chuck) for American Ballet Theatre, Double Evil for San Francisco Ballet, Carmen for Boston Ballet, 10 to Hyper M for Royal Danish Ballet, Offcore for Finnish National Ballet and Pointeoff for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.  Elo trained with the Finnish National Ballet School and the Kirov Ballet School in Leningrad.  Prior to joining Netherlands Dance Theater in 1990, he danced with Finish National Ballet from 1978 through 1984 and Collberg Ballet from 1984 to 1990.

 This event is part of the PIFA Opening Night Gala. For details, contact specialevents@kimmelcenter.org.  

 

Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 10:30am

Rendell Room

A Conversation: Paris 1910-1920

Ticket Price: $20 ($8 for students)

 

Alex Ross and Joan Acocella, classical music and dance critics for The New Yorker, Michael R. Taylor, Curator of Modern Art at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Jeffrey Jackson, historian and author, Paris Under Water, take us on a journey back to Paris from 1910-1920.  Why did artists from all over the world flock to the City of Lights? What was so world-changing about what they did?  What was it like to live in Paris, for artists and ordinary citizens alike? Prepare to be charmed, astonished, entertained, and totally immersed in this lively discussion moderated by
Alasdair Nichol, Vice Chairman of Freeman's, and appraiser on the “Antiques Roadshow.”  This event occurs in two parts beginning at 10:30am, breaking at noon for one hour, and resuming at1pm.   Question-and-answer will follow each session.  

 

Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 7:30pm

Perelman Theater

A Soldier’s Tale

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

Dirk Brossé, conductor

Robert Smythe, stage director

Ticket Price: $23- $61

 

STRAVINSKY: L’histoire du soldat (A Soldier’s Tale)

 

For the first time in its 46-year history, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia brings an exciting new theatrical experience to its stage. In collaboration with award-winning stage director Robert Smythe, the Chamber Orchestra mounts a provocative new production of Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale (L’histoire du soldat).  A recipient of fellowships from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Smythe has delighted Philadelphia audiences with his puppetry work for decades. 

A founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensemble led by new Music Director Dirk Brossé.  Maestro Brossé is a native of Belgium and a multi-faceted composer and respected conductor on the international music scene.  He brings an extraordinary creative vision and passion for the Chamber Orchestra to maintain a strong community presence in Philadelphia.  His experience includes conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, African Children’s Choir, the National Orchestras of Belgium, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, as well as being the Principal Conductor and Music Director of the "Star Wars: In Concert" five-year world tour and continuing to work with many other ensembles. 

Friday, April 15, 2011 at 8pm

Verizon Hall

Orchestre National de France

Daniele Gatti, conductor

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano

Ticket price: $39- $113

 

DEBUSSY: La mer

RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major

STRAVINSKY: The Rite of Spring

 

Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer for its “sheen and brightness that bathes the music in a new light,” the Orchestre National de France returns for the Kimmel Center debuts of conductor Daniele Gatti and pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet on Friday, April 15, 2011.  Their program includes Debussy’s La mer, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major—works that revolutionized musical composition more than a century ago, and which continue to challenge and inspire audiences today. Gatti became music director of France’s best-known orchestra in September 2008, succeeding Kurt Masur, who performed at the Kimmel Center on his outgoing tour.  Gatti has led the orchestra through numerous concerts both in Paris and on tour, and he also recently conducted a production of Verdi’s Falstaff at the Theatre des Champs Élysées.

 

Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 3pm

Verizon Hall

Thierry Escaich, organ

Remember Paris

Ticket price: $19- $28

 

Emmanuelle Delpech, director

Gilles Boustani, video designer

Nichole Canuso and Geoff Sobelle, actors

 

Admired by The Diapason as “an improviser of genius,” international organist Thierry Escaich is renowned for his concert work as well as his brilliant compositions. Escaich will perform Remember Paris, a collaboration with acclaimed director Emmanuelle Delpech.  Musically and theatrically re-creating Paris from 1910 to 1920, Remember Paris also includes video designer Gilles Boustani’s inventive projections of historic images and dreamlike re-imaginings of the City of Lights. A man and a woman, played by two silent actors, poignantly transport audiences back to a Paris embodied by decadence and eroticism, by artistic daring and the devastations of war. 

 

Organist at St-Etienne-du-Mont in Paris since 1997, Thierry Escaich is an international organist and ambassador of the great French organ school of improvisation. His diverse recordings have been awarded numerous musical distinctions such as the Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque (1996) and the “Choc du Monde de la musique” (1998) for his interpretations of works by Brahms. The “incandescent breath and inexhaustible energy” (Diapason) of his improvisations make him a worthy successor to the grand masters such as C. Franck and P. Cochereau.  Lastly, his passion for the cinema has motivated him to improvise on the piano and the organ, and to compose for silent film, as demonstrated in his musical accompaniment of Frank Borzage’s L’Heure suprême, commissioned by the Louvre in 1999.

 

A former member of Pig Iron Theatre Company  for eight years, Emmanuelle Delpech has been a performer and co-creator of critically acclaimed productions such as Gentlemen Volunteers, Flop!, Hell Meets Henry Halfway, and James Joyce is Dead and So Is Paris, for which she won a Barrymore Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.  Classically trained at the Ecole Superieur d’Art Dramatique de la ville de Paris, Emmanuelle also studied physical theatre at Ecole Jacques Lecoq.  Emmanuelle has performed in Paris and throughout Europe in productions such as Lettres a Stalingrad, directed by Laurent Terzieff. She has taught Clown at the University of the Arts and currently instructs a two semester Lecoq technique Class at Temple University.

 

Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 7:30pm

Perelman Theater

Sō Percussion

Imaginary City

Ticket Price: $19- $32

 

Sō Percussion returns to the Kimmel Center to perform Imaginary City, a sonic meditation on the architecture, light, and color of urban life. Since forming at the Yale School of Music in 1999, Sō Percussion members Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting and Eric Beach have been creating music at once raucous and touching, barbarous and refined. In Imaginary City, the ensemble’s sound explorations, the work of video artist Jenise Treuting, and the theater direction of Pulitzer-nominated director and playwright Rinde Eckert capture the unexpected everyday sights and sounds of Philadelphia.

Brooklyn-based band members of Sō Percussion first met at the Yale School of Music in 1999, and have since emerged as a unique voice in the world of contemporary music. Named for the Japanese verb meaning "to play," Sō members experiment with sounds including those made by toy pianos, wooden slats, doorbell chimes, vibraphones, bowed marimbas, tuned and prepared pipes, tin cans, a wayward ethernet port, and a variety of sound programming. The ensemble has performed its diverse repertoire at venues across the country, including Miller Theater and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Walker Center in Minneapolis.  Sō’s release, Amid the Noise (2006), follows the quartet’s first two highly acclaimed albums, and further stimulates the senses by synchronizing the soundtrack with haunting urban scenes from Manhattan and Tokyo.

Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 8pm

Verizon Hall

Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®

Lisa Vroman, guest vocalist

Springtime in Paris

Ticket Price: $32-$92

Peter Nero and the Philly Pops® celebrate Springtime in Paris. The maestro will serve up a generous helping of music from the early twentieth century, from Debussy and Ravel to Cole Porter’s greatest French tunes as well as popular music from France, and popular music saluting France (then and now).  Peter Nero and guest vocalist Broadway and Opera performer Lisa Vroman will transport audiences to the City of Lights.

With two time Grammy Award-winning pianist at the helm, Peter Nero’s imaginative programming has made Philly Pops concerts an audience favorite with his collaborative performances alongside special guest artists.  Now in its 30th year, The Philly Pops is a one-of-a kind orchestra that authentically performs a wide variety of musical genres — from classics to big band, Broadway to rock n' roll. The POPS boasts a blend of talented musicians from the musically rich Philadelphia region, bringing audiences to their feet time after time.  "Our concerts are for people who love all kinds of music," explains Nero. "We've learned that audiences want an eclectic mix, a mix they can't get anywhere else. That's the success of our concerts — quality, variety and a great orchestra that can play anything!"

Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 3pm

Verizon Hall

HOPE: An Oratorio (World Premiere)

Jonathan Leshnoff, composer

Roberto Minczuk, conductor

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

Ticket Price: $28- $68

 

Jessica Rivera, soprano;  Sussan Deyhim, alto

Jason Collins, tenor; David Linx, tenor

The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Girlchoir

 

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will perform the world premiere of HOPE: An Oratorio with conductor Roberto Minczuk. Praised by the New York Times for his “glowing melodic lines over autumnal string harmonies,” Jonathan Leshnoff is quickly earning an international reputation as one of America’s most gifted young composers. Commissioned by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts to compose HOPE: An Oratorio for PIFA, Leshnoff’s piece explores the cycles of faith, from the throes of abandonment to the revival of hope. Embracing universal spirituality, he includes multi-lingual texts from the Old Testament, African-American spirituals, and poems by Walt Whitman and 14th-century Persian poet Hafiz, setting them for diverse voices, including World pop Iranian singer Sussan Deyhim and innovative Belgian jazz singer David Linx.   

 

The New Jersey-born composer Jonathan Leshnoff is riding the crest of a wave of popularity that has resulted in international performances of his works by the Philadelphia, Baltimore, IRIS, Buffalo, Kyoto, Curtis Institute, Kansas City, National Gallery of Art, Boca Raton, Columbus, and Extremadura (Madrid) Orchestras, among others.  In April of 2010, Marin Alsop and The Baltimore Symphony premiered his Starburst, and last month, The Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Robert Spano, premiered his flute concerto, written for Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Flutist, Jeffrey Khaner.  He is currently the composer-in-residence with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.

 

Monday, April 25, 2011 at 7:30pm

Perelman Theater

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel

Paris 1911: A Festive Musical Year!

Ticket Price: $30

 

Keyboard Conversations®, a concert-plus-commentary series, concludes with Jeffrey Siegel’s performance of Paris 1911 – A Festive Musical Year!  The program features works written and performed in Paris a century ago, including some of the most influential music of early 20th Century Paris: Ravel’s Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, Préludes of Debussy and Fauré, and Stravinsky’s Petrushka. 

An ongoing series for more than twenty-five years, Jeffrey Siegel's Keyboard Conversations® consistently attract avid classical music lovers who wish to increase their understanding and enjoyment of familiar works.  They and also reach out to newcomers who wish to learn more about classical music.  Jeffrey Siegel has been a soloist with the world's great orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony, all the major London orchestras, the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra and many others. As a conductor, he has collaborated with luminaries such as Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Neeme Järvi, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas and David Zinman, among others. He has led the Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Saint Louis Symphony Orchestras, The Minnesota Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as orchestras in France, Scandinavia and South America.

Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center.  Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts’ Merriam Theater. Our mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The 2010/2011 season is sponsored by Citi, and the Broadway 2010/2011 season is sponsored by Verizon, and American Airlines.  For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.  

The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), inspired by the Kimmel Center, launches the city’s art and cultural scene onto the world stage with a three-week festival offering performances, exhibits and events.  Based on the philosophy of collaboration, innovation and creativity, PIFA’s programs represent every arts discipline and include more than 100 partners.  Offerings include newly commissioned works, classical performances and exhibits, surprising partnerships featuring local and international artists and exciting explorations of traditional, non-traditional, new and emerging art forms.  In homage to the artistic energy of Paris 1910-1920, PIFA celebrates works from that era and new creations inspired by the brashly innovative spirit of the period. The festival was made possible by an extraordinary grant from Philadelphia philanthropist Leonore Annenberg, whose vision for a city-wide celebration of the arts shaped its philosophy and programming.   For more information, visit PIFA.org

 

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