• 
• 
  • Our Facilities
  • Facility Rentals
  • Advertising Opportunities
  • Resident Companies
  • Our Leadership
  • Our Story
  • Building the Center
  • Important Links
  • Careers & Volunteers
  • Contact Us
• 
  • Full Calendar of Events
  • Seating Charts
  • PIFA.org/events
  • Broadway
  • Kimmel Center Presents
  • KimmelSTIX
  • Ticket Information
  • Group Sales
  • Free at the Kimmel
• 
  • What's New at the Kimmel?
  • How to Find Us
  • Box Office
  • Tours
  • Dining at the Kimmel
  • Group Sales
  • Student Groups
  • Facility Rental
  • Hotel Partners
  • Accessibility
• 
  • Creative Music Program
  • Community Education
  • Special Student Matinees
  • Classes, grades 5-12
  • Education Fair
• 
  • Become a member now!
  • Benefits of Membership
  • Academy Gold
  • Founders Circle
  • What Your Gift Supports
  • Kimmel Card Discounts
  • Major Gifts
  • Planned Giving
  • Corporate Sponsorship
  • Send us a message
• 
  • Breaking News
  • Season Press Kit
  • Fact Sheets
  • Media Inquiries
• 

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Announces Season-Long 10TH ANNIVERSARY LIGHTS UP ON HOME CELEBRATION, October 2011-June 2012

The Heath Brothers Kick Off Jazz UP Close Series, part of 10th Anniversary Celebration, Oct. 15

10^th Anniversary Celebration Honors Kimmel Center Resident Companies and Philadelphia’s Legendary Artists with 10 Performances throughout the Season

Highlights of the Year also Include Campus-Wide Anniversary Programming and Events,

Education and Community Activities, Exhibitions and Facility Improvements

Kevin Bacon is Kimmel Center’s 10^th Anniversary Celebrity Spokesperson

Free Plaza Programming in December Commemorates Kimmel Center Opening

Kimmel Center Produced Jazz Up Close Star Jimmy Heath Video Debuts October

Kimmel Center announces an exciting season-long series of artist and education events and initiatives to celebrate its 10^th anniversary.  The Lights Up on Home Anniversary Celebration pays homage to Philadelphia Legends who have either called Philadelphia their home for the performing arts or have contributed to the City’s vibrant arts and culture landscape.   The Lights Up On Home 10^th Anniversary Celebration kicks-off with a performance on October 15 by Philly jazz legends The Heath Brothers, Jimmy Heath and Albert “Tootie” Heath, part of the season-long Jazz Up Close series.

Lights Up On Home also celebrates the Kimmel Center as home to its eight Resident Companies for their wide-reaching contributions to the performing arts.  In addition to the Jazz Up Close Series honoring Philly jazz legends the Heath Brothers, Benny Golson, Lee Morgan and McCoy Tyner; and Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald’s performance on Nov. 30, an encore to her performance 10 years ago,  the Celebration also includes: The Philadelphia Orchestra performing with Music Director Designate Yannick Nézet Séguin; a world premiere by Hannibal Lokumbe with the Chamber  Orchestra of Philadelphia and Enon Tabernacle Mass Choir; a world premiere by Philly native hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris performed by PHILADANCO!; as well as performances by the Pennsylvania Ballet; the Opera Company of Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society with hometown opera star Eric Owens; Philly favorite Jerry Blavat’s rip roaring music revue; and, Broadway musical FELA!, produced by Philly Native Will Smith and ?uestlove. (attached is a complete list of Lights Up On Home performances with corresponding dates).

“We are absolutely thrilled about our 10^th Anniversary Season-Long Celebration,” said Anne Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center. “The arts have a special place in Philadelphia. Our celebration incorporates the extraordinary talent of this region and mirrors the diverse interests of the regional audience we serve.  There is something for everyone. This is our opportunity to showcase our eight Resident Companies who have helped shape the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and have made it an international cultural destination.” 

The Kimmel Center is also committed to ensuring that both their audiences and presenters are representative of the communities they serve with deliberate programming selections to address the region’s diverse cultural needs. In fact, according to Ewers, the Kimmel Center’s programming department meets regularly with community-based organizations and cultural leaders to discuss how they can best achieve this task.  The effort has led to Kimmel Center choosing Can You Hear God Crying?, a musical work presented in association with Art Sanctuary and composed by jazz-trumpeter sensation Hannibal Lokumbe, as the cornerstone of its Lights Up On Home Anniversary Celebration. The world-premiere features the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Enon Tabernacle Mass Choir and the Music Liberation Orchestra performing a combination of music and texts – including historic African American spirituals, Arabic prayers, Judeo-Christian hymns, which takes place in Verizon Hall on December 13, 2011 at 7:30pm. (*postponed to Juneteenth 2012) 

Additionally, the Free at the Kimmel Series the 10^th Anniversary Celebration begins December 16^th with free plaza performances December 17, 18, 23, 24, 30, 31 and January 1, programming diverse regional artists and family friendly offerings.  Free at the Kimmel continues throughout the season with weekly Saturday afternoon concerts, 5:30pm to 7pm. Organ enthusiasts are also invited to attend a free Community Organ Day on Saturday, June 9, 2012, held in honor of the Kimmel Center’s 10^th Anniversary Season.

“We are a performing arts venue for all people.  With the offerings of our Resident Companies, co-productions with area concert promoters, our Kimmel Center Presents line-up, our Broadway Season and the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, we believe we’ve done just that,” Ewers continued.

As part of its kick off to the Jazz Up Close Series, which this season pays tribute to Philly Jazz Legends, Kimmel Center also debuts Jimmy Heath: A Philadelphia Jazz Retrospective in October.  The video, produced by the Kimmel Center and shot by Philadelphia’s own Denise James, follows Heath down memory lane as he visits locations which once housed great Jazz clubs.  Heath narrates Philadelphia’s rich Jazz history recounting stories peppered with appearances by the prolific Jazz greats who played Philadelphia.   The piece is set to debut as part of the Kimmel Center’s Jazz Up Close Series tribute to the Heath brothers on October 15. Excerpts of the documentary will also be broadcast on the Kimmel Center digital cube on Broad and Spruce streets, with selections also on the Kimmel Center’s web site, www.kimmelcenter.org

“Philadelphia has a rich Jazz legacy that dates back to legendary performers who were either born and grew up in Philadelphia, or at one time called the city home to numerous jazz clubs and venues,” said Vice President of Programming Matt Wolf, “Artistic Director Danilo Perez specifically curated the Kimmel Center’s 10^th anniversary Season’s Jazz Up Close Series to celebrate Philadelphia’s rich traditions and artistic contributions to Jazz.”

Another season highlight--Kevin Bacon will make appearances throughout the 10^th Anniversary Season as the official celebrity spokesperson with a Bacon Brother’s performance in spring 2012. Special appearances, TBA.

“I’m looking forward to returning to my hometown to celebrate the Kimmel Center’s 10^th Anniversary.  Philadelphia has been an important inspiration in shaping my life as an actor and musician.  My earliest memories include sitting in the Academy of Music absorbing the awe-inspiring sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Since those days, the performing arts have found an additional home in the Kimmel Center where all can enjoy dance, theater, and music of every type,” said Bacon.

The Kimmel Center’s Education Department will host various community activities, special events, and the installation of the art gallery, Under the Glass: The First 10 Years of the Kimmel Center commemorate the Kimmel Center 10^th anniversary milestone, opening in February in the Merck Arts Education Center (Free admission and open to the public, 10am to 4pm and evening concert hours). The Kimmel Center’s Creative Music Education Program will  host monthly Jazz Jams in the Plaza with the Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble.

Kimmel Center Background

Kimmel Center officially opened its doors on December 16, 2001, amidst deserved fanfare to a welcoming and excited public.  Governor Ed Rendell led the charge by leveraging public funds with significant private investment to create an Avenue of the Arts with the Kimmel Center as its star attraction.  According to reports, more than 40,000 visited on opening day.   The Kimmel Center was positioned to become Philadelphia’s driving force for performing arts, a vital economic engine generating job growth and continually impacting local vendors and restaurants with its diverse annual attractions. 

Over the last decade, the Kimmel Center for the Performance Arts has grown from one building into  a thriving Philadelphia destination. Each year, nearly one million people experience the “live” concert by visiting its growing cultural campus with the best of world, pop, jazz, dance and classical music offerings, a successful Broadway season, as well as comedic and family-friendly performances showcased among its multiple venues at the Kimmel Center, Academy of the Music, and Merriam Theater; and in partnership with the Shubert Organization, the Forrest Theatre.  Annually, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 750 annual events, which includes Kimmel Center Presents, Broadway Season, its eight Resident Company performances, special events and rentals.  Over the course of the last nine seasons, the Center has annually generated, directly and indirectly, nearly $350 million per year in economic activity that supports nearly 4, 200 jobs in the State.

The recent success of the inaugural 2011 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), a 25-day long city-wide festival with 1500 events and 150 artists led by the Kimmel Center, also solidified the Center’s place as Philadelphia’s community hub for experiencing the performing arts.  More than 149,000 attended PIFA Kimmel Center Free Plaza offerings, 404,600 attended the festival’s 135 core offerings, and 196,000 attended the Street Fair on April 30^th, an unprecedented event that shaped Philadelphia as an iconic national destination with participation from 170,000 visitors who live outside the city.   PIFA generated a total economic impact of $55.74 million within the Philadelphia region.

Thursday, May 31 7:30pm           

Friday, June 1       7:30pm           

Saturday, June 2   2:00pm           

Saturday, June 2   8:00pm           

Sunday, June 3     2:00pm           

9.      FELA!

In association with the Shubert Organization

Produced by Will Smith and ?uestlove

Academy of Music

Tuesday, March 20           7:30pm           

Wednesday, March 21      7:30pm           

Thursday, March 22          7:30pm           

Saturday, March 24           2:00pm           

Saturday, March 24           8:00pm           

Sunday, March 25             1:00pm           

Sunday, March 25             6:30pm           

10.  Opera Company of Philadelphia

Curtis Opera Theatre's Elegy for Young Lovers (Philadelphia Premiere)

Presented in association with Opera Company of Philadelphia

Perelman Theater

Wednesday, March 14      7:30pm           

Friday, March 16               8:00pm           

Sunday, March 18             2:30pm

Dark Sisters

by Nico Muhly, performed in English

A New Co-Commission from Opera Company of Philadelphia, Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theatre Group 

Perelman Theater

Friday, June 8                   8:00pm           

Sunday, June 10               2:30pm           

Wednesday, June 13        7:30pm

> index of news releases
> For more information, and to request high resolution images for press use, send us a message online.

News Releases

News Archives