Kimmel Center Presents Wide Range of Performances in its Ninth Season, 2009-2010
MARCH 12, 2009
In announcing its ninth season today, Kimmel Center President and CEO Anne Ewers and Vice President of Programming Tom Warner provided details of the 2009/2010 program schedule that includes nine distinct series of concerts and performances spanning a wide range of musical genres, plus a series of exciting Broadway shows presented at the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre. The Kimmel Center season is sponsored by Citi for the third year.
Artists and ensembles from 13 countries will appear on the Kimmel Center stages at Verizon Hall and in the Perelman Theater, in programs ranging from classical, jazz and dance, to world, pop and new music groups, of which 17 will be making their Philadelphia or Kimmel Center debut appearances. The upcoming season of Kimmel Center programming includes 57 performances, and runs from September 25, 2009 through June 19, 2010, beginning with jazz giant Sonny Rollins kicking off the season and ending with the annual Summer Solstice Celebration.
Series subscribers will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to these events before tickets go on public sale. For the ninth season, most of the subscription series pricing remains unchanged, allowing new and renewing subscribers the opportunity to purchase tickets at this season's levels. The Center also has a flexible purchase plan so that patrons may choose to pay for their subscriptions in two installments.
"We have an amazing lineup that includes a wide and diverse choice of performances to offer our Philadelphia community," said Anne Ewers in describing the next season. "Every year we seek to expand the scope of our offerings by presenting performing artists that engage audiences on multiple levels, in addition to providing educational opportunities for children and adults. Attending a performance at the Kimmel Center should always be an uplifting experience."
Once again, the Kimmel Center will offer its popular Free in the Plaza events—a series of 60 performances on the Commonwealth Plaza stage that are open free to the public either before or after Kimmel Center Presents Verizon Hall concerts.
According to Tom Warner, the Kimmel Center's newly appointed Vice President of Programming, "Our aim is to continually broaden the scope, accessibility, and diversity of programs to reflect the divergent interest of our audiences and the ever changing scene of global artists performing today. New this year is our expanded Fresh Ink series, introducing emerging artists with an adventurous spirit at affordable ticket prices."
Additional programs and performances for both Kimmel Center Presents and the Broadway Series will be announced in the coming months.
Kimmel Center Presents Announces 2009-2010 Season Sponsored by Citi
Season Opens with Legendary Jazz Saxophonist Sonny Rollins Kicking off the Jazz Fridays Series on Friday, September 25, 2009
Great Orchestras on Tour Series includes Riccardo Muti with the New York Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Michael Tilson Thomas with the San Francisco Symphony
Master Musician Series Includes Yuja Wang, André Watts and renowned conductor Helmuth Rilling joined by Philadelphia-based choirs
Organ Recital Series Returns with Olivier Latry, Cameron Carpenter, and Paul Jacobs
Fresh Ink Series Includes Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Rider and 2 Foot Yard, Absolute Ensemble with guest Simone Dinnerstein, JACK Quartet, and Matt Haimovitz
Jazz Fridays Series Includes Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride & Friends 20th Anniversary Celebration, Ahmad Jamal with Special Guest Hiromi, Danilo Pèrez Performing 21st Century Dizzy, an Organ Jam Featuring Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Trudy Pitts, and John Medeski
Jazz Up Close Celebrates Billie Holiday 50 Years after Her Passing with Performances by the Danilo Pèrez Trio and Lizz Wright, Kurt Elling, Sheila Jordan, Claudia Acuña, Denise King and Venissa Santi
World & Pop Series to Include Sweet Honey in the Rock, Paco Peña, Sara Tavares, Vienna Boys Choir, Jerry Blavat Winter and Spring Shows, Paddy Moloney with Chieftains, and Cherryholmes
Movers & Shakers Dance Series Highlighted by Philadanco's 40th Anniversary, New Zealand's Black Grace, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Philadelphia Premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, a Curtis Institute, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Kimmel Center Presents Co-Presentation
Keyboard Conversations Honoring the 200th Birthday of Chopin
World & Pop
Kimmel Center Presents' World & Pop Series showcases a mélange of diverse musical talent on stage, illustrating the interconnectedness of music from all parts of the world and a global musical dialogue that invites regional audience members to participate. Some of the most engaging artists in world and pop perform, with more shows still to be added as the season progresses.
"There is a tribal pulse in flamenco that touches something in people's souls."
Paco Peña kicks off the World & Pop Series, joined on stage by his band of musicians and dancers for a passionate flamenco performance on Saturday, October 3, 2009. As a guitarist, composer, dramatist, and musical mentor, Peña builds inventively on the deep foundations of flamenco. Voted Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year for five consecutive years by America's Guitar magazine, Paco Peña has communicated the depths of visceral emotion from flamenco's primitive roots to the razor sharp complexity of modern variations on stage. Within three decades, Peña has transformed the landscape of the Spanish art form to include classical, jazz, blues, and country influences, as well as other Latin American musical elements.
One of world music's rising stars, Cape Verdean-born vocalist Sara Tavares makes her Kimmel Center debut on Friday, November 20, 2009. A truly unique voice on the world music scene, Tavares uses her dulcet-toned voice and gentle arrangements to communicate the universal meaning behind her music. Abandoned by her parents at a young age, Tavares sought out her family and her cultural roots through music, enlisting the help of veteran African musicians in Lisbon and Cape Verde. Her first North American release, Balancê (Times Square Records), mixes reggae style sound with traditional Cape Verdean rhythm coladeira, with Afro-Beat and semba influences.
The Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company makes their Kimmel Center debut on Sunday, November 22, 2009. The ensemble first began with Pavlo Virsky and Mykola Bolotov, well-known Ukrainian ballet-masters, bringing a group of folk dancers together in 1937. Through the decades, the ensemble has become renowned for highly artistic, spectacular folk dance performances with colorful costumes and lively music, inherent to the cultural traditions and expressions of the Ukraine. The New York Times has commented on the dance troupe's talent: "...Soaring high in the air in splits, careening around the stage in gravity-defying butterfly jumps and spinning like tops in the 18th-century equivalent of break dancing."
Vienna Boys Choir kicks off the holiday season at the Kimmel Center on Friday, December 4, 2009. Since 1498, the choir has been captivating Austrian audiences with composers Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert creating special works for the choir. The 100 cherubic choristers between the ages of 10 and 14 are frequent guests to Asia, Australia, and the Americas, adopting music from around the world along the way. A unique blend of tradition and innovation, the choir has performed medieval, contemporary, and experimental music. Their holiday program includes diverse world folk music, holiday classics, and shepherds' songs from their native Austria, among others.
"Geator with the Heater" and "Boss with the Hot Sauce" Philadelphia radio personality Jerry Blavat explores the Legends of Rock n' Roll and R&B on Saturday, January 30, 2010; and the Legends of Doo Wop with a spring performance on Saturday, May 22, 2010. Special guests will sing R&B oldies and hits of the doo-wop era. Everyone is invited to come early or stay late for the Geator's dance parties in the Commonwealth Plaza.
Grammy® Award-winning and internationally beloved Sweet Honey in the Rock returns to the Kimmel Center for a special concert on Saturday, February 6, 2010. Known for creating soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms that capture the complex sounds of blues, spirituals, gospel hymns, rap and reggae, this female a cappella ensemble's vocal prowess ignites a flurry of dynamic energy throughout their performance. Occasionally accompanied by hand percussion instruments, their vast repertoire of music evokes a calling for social justice everywhere. Like their name, their music holds true and permeates with sweet honey—the ancient sweet sustenance that nurtures existence; and rock, the elemental strength that endures the winds of time.
Six-time Grammy® Award-winners Paddy Moloney with Chieftains return to the Kimmel Center with special guests for their annual St. Patty's Day celebration on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Traditional Irish music and step dancing take center stage, as the ensemble uncovers the wealth of Irish folklore with fiddle, flute, tin, whistle, and bodhrán instruments in hand. The Chieftains have collaborated with the biggest names in rock, pop, and traditional music in Ireland and around the world.
Grammy® Award-winning Chanticleer, the only full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States, makes its Kimmel Center debut on Wednesday, April 7, 2010. The ensemble has developed a remarkable reputation over its 22-year history for its interpretation of vocal literature—from Renaissance to jazz, gospel to daring new music. With its seamless blend of 12 male voices ranging from countertenor to bass, Chanticleer has earned international renown as "an orchestra of voices."
An embodiment of the American bluegrass dream, Cherryholmes debuts at the Kimmel Center on Friday, April 23, 2010. In a dynamic live show that includes twin fiddles, Irish step dancing, classic country yodeling, and old-time claw hammer banjo, each band member takes a turn as lead singer, showcasing his or her abilities. Comprised of father Jere, mother Sandy Lee and siblings Cia Leigh, B.J., Skip, and Molly Kate, this Grammy®-nominated family sensation makes playing music a true family affair. Cherryholmes won Emerging Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year awards at the 16th Annual International Bluegrass Music Association.
Jazz Fridays
The Kimmel Center's Jazz Fridays Series brings together artists who continue to redefine modern jazz, from those who have been influenced by Philadelphia's vibrant and pulsating jazz community to homegrown artists who have developed their prodigious talents here. With the last vanguards of jazz's golden age showcased alongside rising stars of the genre, the Kimmel Center's stages reveal the evolving legacy of the first great American art form.
"...Rollins is still the reigning god of the tenor saxophone, one of
jazz's most innovative and influential pioneers... a volcano of fierce
inventiveness and raw, urgent power."
"Christian McBride exuded undeniable charisma and prowess,
enthralling an audience whose silent attention alone spoke
volumes...the tone of his bass is as buoyantly effervescent as it is
deep and woody."
"Mr. Jamal was a major influence on the jazz world, inspiring the
likes of Miles Davis... His restless virtuosity keeps audiences glued
to the ivories as he jumps between musical themes and counterthemes and
flits between dynamics and tempo."
Iconic jazz giant Sonny Rollins returns to the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall on Friday, September 25, 2009. One of the few remaining titans of modern jazz, Rollins has demonstrated his richly textured tenor saxophone skills alongside all-time greats such as Miles Davis, Bud Powell, and John Coltrane. His most recent release, Road Shows, Vol. 1 (2008), is the first in a series that captures the "spontaneous magic" of Rollins' live performances over the last three decades. Winner of the 2004 Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, Rollins was inducted into the Academy of Achievement in 2006 as the "Greatest Living Jazz Soloist," and was recently named "Best Tenor Saxophonist" in the 2008 Down Beat Critics' Poll.
Philadelphia native Christian McBride celebrates the 20th anniversary of his musical work with world-class jazz, pop, and funk artists at the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall on Friday, October 16, 2009. His concert will include special guest Grammy® Award-winning pianist Bruce Hornsby in an onstage dialogue and performance as part of a live version of McBride's new XM/Sirius satellite radio show, "The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian," which premieres in April 2009. Inside Straight, McBride's new quintet, will also join onstage with alto/solo saxophonist Steve Wilson, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Eric Reed, and drummer Carl Allen, performing works from their upcoming album. A Grammy Award®-winning virtuoso of the electric and acoustic bass, McBride has been featured on more than 250 recordings with artists such as Chaka Khan, Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, Ray Brown, and Natalie Cole.
American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal makes his Kimmel Center debut in Verizon Hall with special guest keyboardist Hiromi on Friday, February 19, 2010. One of the most revered pianists on the international music scene, Jamal's innovative, minimalist approach has influenced jazz masters such as Miles Davis, Randy Weston, and Keith Jarrett for more than 50 years. In 2008, Jamal released It's Magic with bassist James Cammack and drummer Idris Muhammad to critical acclaim. Jamal's protégé, Japanese keyboardist-composer Hiromi first captured audiences with her high-energy musical blend on the debut album Another Mind (2003), winning Best Jazz Act at the Boston Music Awards in 2006. Her fusion of classical, rock, and jazz can be heard on the 2008 album Duet with multiple Grammy® Award-winner Chick Corea, recorded live at the Tokyo Blue Note.
Internationally acclaimed Panamanian pianist-composer Danilo Pérez delivers his distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz with the program, 21st Century Dizzy, paying tribute to one of the greatest jazz influences Dizzy Gillespie, on Friday, March 19, 2010. The Artistic Advisor for the Kimmel Center's Jazz Up Close Series and a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Pérez recently received a Grammy® nomination for "Lazy Afternoon" from Across the Crystal Sea (2008). Pérez was introduced to the international jazz circuit as the youngest member of Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra in 1989. This pivotal tenure solidified his command of the eclectic, post-bop Latin style, and brought him to the forefront on Gillespie's Grammy® Award-winning recording Live at the Royal Festival Hall. His Kimmel Center performance will include new arrangements of classic Gillespie tunes as well as original group compositions with band members David Sanchez, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Amir Elsaffar, Jamey Haddad, Ben Street, and Adam Cruz.
Kimmel Center Presents offers an Organ Jam on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ in Verizon Hall, featuring organ masters Dr. Lonnie Smith, Joey DeFrancesco, Trudy Pitts, and John Medeski on Friday, April 30, 2010. Dr. Lonnie Smith, internationally renowned as one of the premier jazz organists in the history of the genre, has revealed his irrepressible energy on more than 70 recordings, ranging from Lou Donaldson's seminal jazz gem Alligator Boogaloo (1987) to Smith's recent critically acclaimed recording of pop star Beck's tunes. Philly's own Joey DeFrancesco's innate soulfulness has won him five consecutive Down Beat Critics Polls as well as historic associations with legends such as Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Elvin Jones, and John McLaughlin. Also from Philadelphia, Trudy Pitts was the first jazz artist to play a concert on the Kimmel Center's Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ in 2006, and returns to reveal the countless colors and sounds of the organ's 7,000 pipes. John Medeski juxtaposes his classical training with jazz improvisation in performances and recordings with artists ranging from singer-songwriter k.d. lang to punk godfather Iggy Pop and gospel singers the Blind Boys of Alabama.
Jazz Up Close
Jazz Up Close Celebrates Billie Holiday
Under the artistic guidance of Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez since 2002, the Kimmel Center's Jazz Up Close series has presented an intimate look at those legendary performers whose legacies are permanently etched in jazz history. This year's Jazz Up Close Series celebrates Philadelphia-born icon Billie Holiday, considered one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time, who continues to influence a new generation of artists fifty years after her passing. In each of the five concerts, locally bred and world-class vocalists channel the spirit of Holiday's signature tunes onstage.
"[Lizz Wright] stirs jazz, gospel and rhythm and blues into a
reflective, flowing style that elongates songs into prayerful
meditations that never wander into vagueness...pitch-perfect with a
smoky, full-bodied texture...impressive in its steadiness, control and
rhythmic subtlety."
"[Kurt Elling is] the most flamboyantly creative jazz singer to emerge in the last decade..."
"[Sheila Jordan's] ballad performances are simply beyond the emotional and expressive capabilities of most other vocalists."
Opening the series, vocalist Lizz Wright and the Danilo Pérez Trio bring to life the power and imagery of Holiday's classic ballad, Strange Fruit, on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 7:30pm in the Perelman Theater. Since her 2002 breakthrough performance at a Los Angeles Billie Holiday tribute, Lizz Wright has been regarded as an important young talent in contemporary jazz. The Southern chanteuse has established herself as an accomplished songwriter and a versatile, deeply expressive singer with a penchant for mixing jazz standards with pop, gospel, and soul flavors. Wright's most recent album, The Orchard (2008), transcends genre distinctions in original compositions and interpretations of works by Ike and Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, and Patsy Cline, among others. Led by Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, drummer Adam Cruz and bassist Ben Street will bring a Panamanian jazz flavor to the program, true to Holiday's original recording of "Strange Fruit," which featured a Panamanian pianist.
Vocalist Kurt Elling continues the Billie Holiday tribute with a program entitled Swing, Brother Swing on Saturday, November 21, 2009 in the Perelman Theater. With seven Grammy® nominations and nine consecutive Down Beat Critics' Poll wins for Male Vocalist of the Year (2000-2008) to his name, Elling is considered one of the preeminent vocalists of today. One of the foremost contemporary voices in the art of vocalese—putting words to improvised jazz solos—Elling has set words to music by Wayne Shorter, Keith Jarrett, and Pat Metheny, often incorporating inspiration from writers such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Pablo Neruda, and Beat poet Jack Kerouac. Elling artfully blends his rich baritone voice with signature scatting and vocalese in a wide-ranging repertoire on his most recent album, Nightmoves (2007).
Next in the series, Sophisticated Lady brings jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan, who makes her Kimmel Center debut on Saturday, December 5, 2009 in the Perelman Theater. Since her 1962 debut Blue Note recording Portrait of Sheila, Sheila Jordan has been called "one of the most consistently creative jazz artists of all time" (All Music Guide). Jordan's powerful vocals, greatly influenced by saxophonist-composer Charlie "Bird" Parker, reveal her signature sweeping changes of pitch, free association improvisation, and bebop roots in performances of standards as well as her own compositions. In November 2008, Jordan celebrated her 80th birthday with the release of Winter Sunshine, recorded live at Montreal's Upstairs Club. She was awarded the Mary Lou Williams Award for a Lifetime of Service to Jazz in October 2008.
The fourth concert in the series, Lady in Satin Goes Latin features Claudia Acuña in her Kimmel Center debut on Saturday, February 6, 2010 in Perelman Theater. Chilean singer-songwriter Claudia Acuña draws upon the culture of her homeland by fusing Latin rhythms with her instinctive jazz sensibility. Singing primarily in her native tongue, she transcends language barriers with the compelling power and emotion that she brings to every performance. Acuña has recorded and toured with artists such as George Benson, Joey Calderazzo, Billy Childs, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, and Danilo Pérez. Acuña regularly appears with her musical director and frequent collaborator, Jason Lindner, who has contributed his hybridized Latin harmonies to her albums Wind from the South (2000), Rhythm of Life (2002) and Luna (2004). Acuña's new album, Este en Momento, is scheduled for release in April 2009.
Philadelphia natives Denise King and Venissa Santi conclude the Jazz Up Close Series with Back in Your Own Backyard on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 7:30pm in the Perelman Theater. Denise King has mesmerized audiences throughout the United States, Brazil, France, Africa, Japan, and Turkey with her warm tone, impeccable phrasing, and absolute vocal control. King's velvet smooth voice can be heard in pop and jazz standards with touches of the blues, soul, and gospel. Over the years, she has shared the stage with such greats as Phil Wright, Cecil McBee, Christian McBride, Lonnie Plaxico, and Celine Dion, among many others. A recent winner of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts prize, Philadelphia-based Cuban-American vocalist Venissa Santi is a driving force in the Latin music scene of Philadelphia. She has performed and recorded with ensembles such as Alô Brasil, Choral Arts Society, and Sonic Liberation Front, among others. Santi's new album, Bienvenida, is scheduled for release in April 2009. Santi is a 2001 graduate of the University of the Arts.
Movers & Shakers
"When I told my parents that I was leaving my job at the bank to
pursue a career in dance, my mother cried and my father didn't speak to
me. That was the moment when I knew that I could not fail."
"A breath of fresh air"
"Exuberant"
Philadanco kicks off the Movers & Shakers series celebrating their 40th Anniversary Season from Thursday, November 12, 2009 to Sunday November 15, 2009. The program features the world premiere of a work by Christopher Huggins, as well as Jawole Willa Jo Zollar's Batty Moves. Leading the world in versatility, diversity and imagination, Philadanco is famous for its sensuous skill and energy. From Thursday, April 15, 2010 to Sunday, April 18, 2010, Philadanco returns to celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a special program featuring the world premiere of a new ballet by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, co-commissioned for Philadanco by Kimmel Center Presents and the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh; as well as Element in Which it Takes Place by Milton Meyers and perennial favorite Ronald K. Brown's Gate Keepers.
New Zealand dance troupe Black Grace makes its Kimmel Center debut from Friday, February 26, 2010 to Saturday, February 27, 2010. Formed in 1995, this group of male dancers fuses Pacific traditional cultures with contemporary dance, all based on the vision of founder/choreographer Neil Ieremia. The program will include Minoi, showcasing Samoan slap dancing and singing; Surface, which traces the masculine traditions of the Samoan culture; and a new work entitled Gathering Chords. Black Grace has been funded by The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, through Dance Advance.
The Movers & Shakers series concludes with the debut of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at the Kimmel Center from Friday, May 14, 2010 to Saturday, May 15, 2010. From the land of enchantment comes one of the nation's pioneering contemporary dance companies. For nearly two decades, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has brought its unique vision of classical intelligence and western ingenuity to the world of dance with performances at venerable venues such as the famed Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the Kennedy Center. Their Kimmel Center program includes a reconstruction of the 1975 ballet Sue's Leg, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and inspired by '30s dance halls with music by Fats Waller; and Red Sweet, choreographed by Jorma Elo to music by Vivaldi and Biber.
Great Orchestras on Tour
Each year since the Kimmel Center opened its doors, Kimmel Center Presents has featured internationally acclaimed orchestras and leading conductors in Verizon Hall. This year the tradition continues with Philadelphia's beloved Maestro Riccardo Muti who leads the New York Philharmonic, the return of Gustavo Dudamel, this time to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the first time as music director, and Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony.
"Mr Muti's tempos were unfailingly well judged, his control of
dynamic contrast and textural detail exacting as ever. From a technical
perspective, the orchestra's execution was beyond reproach."
Maestro Riccardo Muti opens the Kimmel Center Presents orchestral season as guest conductor of the New York Philharmonic on Friday, November 20, 2009. One of Philadelphia's most beloved conductors, Riccardo Muti returns to lead the nation's oldest symphony orchestra in a program featuring: Liszt's Les Préludes, Symphonic Poem No. 3; Elgar's In the South; and selections from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Born in Naples, Italy, Riccardo Muti has traveled the world and led the most important orchestras, from the Berlin Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra to Orchestre National de France and Vienna Philharmonic. In June 2008, Muti was appointed music director-designate of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which he will lead for five years beginning in September 2010. As music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1980-1992, Muti firmly established himself as a treasure.
Renowned for his interpretations of Mahler's symphonies, the dynamic and innovative Michael Tilson Thomas leads the San Francisco Symphony through Mahler's Symphony No. 2 on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. The emotionally intense work, known as the "Resurrection," will feature the exquisite and versatile soprano Laura Claycomb, Scandinavian alto Katarina Karneus, and the powerful Westminster Choir. Maestro Tilson Thomas made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 29 in 1974. Two decades later, he assumed his post as music director of the San Francisco Symphony, where he has remained since September 1995. Michael Tilson Thomas's recordings with the San Francisco Symphony have won international acclaim, including eight Grammys® for recordings of Mahler's Symphonies 3, 6, and 7, scenes from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and a collection of three Stravinsky ballet scores—Le Sacres du Printemps, The Firebird, and Perséphone. Mahler's work, the "Resurrection," is considered an extraordinary symphonic and vocal feat that marked the composer's introduction to fame.
Classical music's hottest rising star, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel brings his infectious energy to Verizon Hall on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 when he makes his first local appearance as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His program includes the Philadelphia premiere of a new work, City Noir, by Pulitzer Prize–winning American composer John Adams, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 ("Pathetique"). Dudamel made his debut at the Kimmel Center with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to a sold out concert during the 2008-09 season. He currently continues his role as music director of the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, and is scheduled to release a new album in March 2009 that explores Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Francesca da Rimini. Tchaikovsky's work, the "Pathetique," premiered nine days before his death and is considered the culmination of the composer's complex and turbulent life.
Master Musicians Recitals and Organ
The fine art of giving a recital provides the ultimate showcase of an artist's technical and expressive skills, and gives an audience the most intimate of performance experiences. This year's Master Musicians Series includes: the return of pianist André Watts; conductor Helmuth Rilling leading the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with two choirs in an all-Bach program; and pianist Yuja Wang performing her first solo recital since her graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music. The fourth season of Organ recitals will include performances by Olivier Latry, Cameron Carpenter, and Paul Jacobs.
"The arrival of Chinese-born pianist Yuja Wang on the musical scene
is an exhilarating and unnerving development. To listen to her in
action is to re-examine whatever assumptions you may have had about how
well the piano can actually be played."
"The organ is musical dynamite, but its fuse must be lit."
One of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars, classical pianist André Watts performs a recital in Verizon Hall on Sunday, November 1, 2009, featuring Schubert's Fantasia for piano, the "Wanderer," and Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor. Deeply rooted in Philadelphia, Watts graduated in 1963 from the Philadelphia Musical Academy, now part of The University of the Arts; and, at the age of nine made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Accolades followed, including a 1964 Grammy® Award as Best New Classical Artist. At the age of 16, he debuted with the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Watts has since performed nationwide with U.S. orchestras and appeared as a regular guest at major summer music festivals worldwide. He was recently inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, celebrating his 50th anniversary debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Watts is currently a professor at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University.
The world's leading Bach scholar, renowned conductor Helmuth Rilling joins the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, organist Eric Plutz, and the Westminster Choir and Temple University Concert Choir on Friday, February 12, 2010 to perform three powerful, sacred works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Rilling has twice recorded the complete Bach choral works, and is the co-founder and artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival. In 2008, he was honored with the Sanford Award by the Yale School of Music at Yale University. The program includes the widely celebrated Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243; Cantata BWV 29 (We thank thee, oh Lord, we thank thee); and Cantata BWV 146 (We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God).
Part of the next generation of classical musicians, 21 year-old Yuja Wang performs a piano recital in Verizon Hall on Thursday, April 29, 2010. A recent Curtis Institute of Music graduate Wang has studied under Gary Graffman since 2002. Her prodigious technical skills, spontaneity, and imaginative youthful interpretations of classical works have won critical praise worldwide. Deutsche Grammophon recently signed Wang as an exclusive recording artist with her debut recording of Sonatas & Etudes, released on February 17, 2009. Her recital program will include works by Scarlatti, Debussy, Prokofiev, and Beethoven's beloved Appassionata Sonata. In 2006, Wang received the Gilmore Young Artist Award.
French musician Olivier Latry returns to the Kimmel Center on Saturday, October 17, 2009 to perform on the King of Instruments, the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ. At only 23 years-old, Latry was named to one of three organ posts at Notre Dame de Paris. Latry's last appearance at the Kimmel Center was the inaugural performance on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ during the 2006 two-week long festival, which included three sold-out gala concerts with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach. An ambassador of 17th and 21st century French organ music, Latry is counted among the most noted "improvisateurs" and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2007 Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Organists in England.
Grammy®-nominated Cameron Carpenter returns to the Kimmel Center with an organ recital performance on Saturday, March 6, 2010. Noted for his intensely personal, often flamboyant performances, the New York Times has called him "the maverick organist." In early 2008, Cameron signed with TELARC® Records for his debut release Revolutionary, referencing the opening track of Chopin's Revolutionary Ètude, and including works by Bach, Demessieux, Dupré, Liszt, Horowitz, Grainger, Ellington, and the world premiere of Carpenter's own Long Song No. 1 (2008). A graduate of The Julliard School in New York City, where he completed undergraduate and post-graduate work, Carpenter was appointed Artist-In-Residence at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City's East Village, an ethnically and musically diverse congregation well matched to his abilities. Women's Wear Daily has nicknamed Carpenter the "organist/runway model."
Lauded for his astounding capacity for memorization and for his virtuoso marathon recitals, Paul Jacobs performs an organ recital at the Kimmel Center on Saturday May 8, 2010. A Curtis Institute of Music graduate who majored in organ and harpsichord, Jacobs also received a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale University. He is currently among the youngest faculty appointments at Juilliard, where he has been department head since 2004. Chicago Tribune hailed Jacobs as "one of the most supremely gifted young organists of his generation" after he performed the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen in a series of nine-hour, one-day marathons in six cities including Chicago and Los Angeles in 2002.
Fresh Ink
The Kimmel Center's Fresh Ink Series continues in Perelman Theater this season with an eclectic batch of talented performers presenting new and unusual repertoire in a spirit of adventure. Fresh Ink audiences experience some of the most dynamic, virtuosic performers and ensembles on the world stage today, including performances this season by the Kronos Quartet, Absolute Ensemble featuring Simone Dinnerstein, and Brooklyn Rider with 2 Foot Yard.
"Sizzling and energetic…"
"An utterly distinctive voice in the forest of Bach interpretation,
Ms. Dinnerstein brings her own pianistic expressivity to the Goldberg
Variations, probing each variation as if it were something completely
new."
One of the most influential ensembles of our time, the Grammy® Award-winning Kronos Quartet performs on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Violinists David Harrington and John Sherba, violist Hank Dutt, and cellist Jeffrey Zeigler continue to fearlessly explore and expand this eclectic string quartet's range of repertoire. The San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has performed for more than 30 years, developing rich collaborations with American composers such as Terry Riley, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. International collaborations include legendary Bollywood "playback singer" Asha Bhosle and Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man. Their program includes works by Steve Reich, and arrangements of works by and Ramallah Underground and Amon Tobin.
New music group Absolute Ensemble brings its "Bach Re-Invented" project featuring Simone Dinnerstein on Saturday, February 20, 2010. Under the direction of Kristjan Järvi, Absolute improvises, arranges, and composes original music, fusing classical music with jazz, rock, world, and hip-hop elements. Absolute continues to offer refreshing insight into new music and has released eight albums with performances around the world including concerts held in Vienna, Zurich, Hamburg, Stockholm, Umea, Sweden, and Bolzano, Milan, Italy. Ms. Dinnerstein made her New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2005, where she performed Bach's Goldberg Variations. Her debut solo release of Goldberg Variations in August 2007 earned the Number one spot on the Billboard Classical Chart its first week on sale. Dinnerstein last performed at the Kimmel Center in 2003, as part of the first season of the Fresh Ink Series in a co-presentation with Astral Arts.
Vital and creative ensemble Brooklyn Rider along with trio 2 Foot Yard featuring violinist and vocalist Carla Kihlstedt will perform at the Kimmel Center on Saturday, March 27, 2010. Members of Brooklyn Rider have traversed far beyond the boundaries of New York to explore various cultures and develop their own unique artistic talent. Collaborations vary from composers such as Chen Yi and Osvaldo Golijov, to technology-based Japanese shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki, as well as participation in Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. Genre-defying 2 Foot Yard's soundscape is full of melodic improvisation, merging rock with contemporary chamber music. Joining 2 Foot Yard is Kihlstedt on violin and vocals, whom Stereophile magazine has hailed as an artist who "inventively straddles the classical and vernacular worlds without compromise to either side." These two groups will perform separately and then together for a new jointly written composition.
Exclusive Extras
A "stellar soloist...Mr. Haimovitz's playing of the virtuosic cello...is by turns blazingly ardent and softly haunting."
"I am absolutely convinced that the JACK Quartet will very soon be
one of the finest and most sought after quartets for the music of our
time."
Cellist Matt Haimovitz makes his Kimmel Center debut on Saturday, October 17, 2009 with a new program known as Anthem II, celebrating the works of North American composers. Since his 1984 debut in a televised appearance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta, cellist Matt Haimovitz has performed with an independent spirit and daring vision that has further expanded the audience of classical music for the next generation of musicians. In 2003, Haimovitz performed the Anthem solo tour in listening-rooms and rock and jazz clubs throughout the United States and Canada, featuring the works of living American composers with his own arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner." His Kimmel Center program, Anthem II, includes the works of North American composers Gilles Tremblay, Ana Sokolovic, Serge Provost, Luna Pearl Woolf and Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Christopher Rouse, and Steven Stucky.
Praised for its "powerhouse playing" by the Chicago Sun-Times, the JACK Quartet will offer its first full-length program on Saturday, January 23, 2010, since debuting at the Kimmel Center's 2008 Summer Solstice Celebration. Its members, "young and enormously gifted..." (Sarasota Herald-Tribune), first met while attending the Eastman School of Music, and since then have quickly garnered a reputation for giving high-energy performances. In addition to performing standard and contemporary repertoire, they daringly pursue period, non-western, and popular performance styles. The quartet has studied closely with Arditti Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Muir String Quartet, and members of the Ensemble Intercontemporai. They have also worked closely with composers Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Matthias Pintscher, and Carlos Sánchez-Gutiérrez, among others, for the commissioning of new works. This concert is presented by Kimmel Center Presents in association with bowerbird.
The tragic love story Antony and Cleopatra lives on at the Kimmel Center on Wednesday March 17, 2010, Friday, March 19, 2010, and Sunday, March 21, 2010, as the Curtis Opera Theatre presents this production on the Perelman Theater stage in association with Opera Company of Philadelphia and Kimmel Center Presents. The Curtis Opera Theatre produces this important 20th century work to commemorate the 100th anniversary of composer Samuel Barber's birth. Director Chas Radar-Shieber and designer David Zinn create an exciting new production starring students of Curtis Opera Theatre. Antony and Cleopatra will be performed in English.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
Now in his fifth season of presenting Keyboard Conversations® at the Kimmel Center, Jeffrey Siegel has illuminated the hearts of many novice and experienced classical music aficionados, who appreciate his concert-plus-commentary adult education series. His programs expose audiences to a variety of composers and their compositions, examining the thematic strands behind the inspiration of some of the greatest classical works today.
Keyboard Conversations® begins on Monday, November 16, 2009 with Chopin for Lovers. Chopin's short piano pieces contain more real music and human drama than any operatic score. His Four Ballads contain some of classical music's most evocative and recognizable melodies.
The second concert in the series takes place on Monday, January 18, 2010 with Chopin the Storyteller. Above all things, Chopin is a storyteller and painter on the grandest musical scale. This will be an evening of the epic and lyrical Ballades of Chopin, with Novelettes of Robert Schumann—musical narratives without words.
The series concludes on Monday, April 19, 2010 with Chopin and the Future. Chopin's music is the cornerstone of all modern harmony. The program includes works by Chopin and composers he inspired such as—Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Fauré, and Szymanowski.
Theater Extra
From acclaimed Canadian writer-director Robert Lepage comes the U.S East Coast premiere of The Andersen Project, presented at the Merriam Theater from Thursday, June 11, 2009 to Saturday, June 13, 2009. The boundary-pushing work is freely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's stories "The Dryad" and "The Shadow," as well as anecdotes drawn from the famed Danish author's Parisian travels. The spellbinding one-man show, starring French-Canadian actor Yves Jacques, draws on some of Lepage's favorite themes: the juxtaposition of past and present, of Romanticism and Modernism, and of established and underground art forms. In this fascinating theater piece, Lepage also delves into more clandestine territory—sexual identity, unfulfilled fantasies, and the thirst for recognition and fame—that derive from Andersen's life and writings, to serve as a filigree to the modern tale. To learn more, visit www.kimmelcenter.org/lepage. The presentation of The Andersen Project is funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Philadelphia Theater Initiative.
Subscription Information
Subscription packages for the Kimmel Center Presents 2009-10 season range in price from $51-$298, go on sale Thursday, March 12, 2009, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1955, or online at www.kimmelcenter.org. Subscriber benefits include priority seating, savings over the cost of single tickets, flexible ticket exchange, advance purchase opportunities for Broadway Series tickets, and more. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
Single tickets will go on sale in August, 2009.
Kimmel Center Presents Sponsors
Kimmel Center Presents' 2009-10 Season is sponsored by Citi. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. NBC-10 is a media partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
The presentation of The Andersen Project is funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative. The presentation of Black Grace has been funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage through Dance Advance.
Support of pre- and post-concert performances on the Plaza stage is provided by the William Penn Foundation. Founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, the William Penn Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that foster rich cultural expression, strengthen children's futures and deepen connections to nature and community. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance a vital, just and caring community. Learn more about the Foundation online at www.williampennfoundation.org.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is the recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment in preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center's early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
About the Kimmel Center
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. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music serve as home to eight Resident Company performing arts organizations, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, PHILADANCO, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®. Kimmel Center, Inc.'s mission also includes arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming through its Kimmel Center Presents and Broadway Series of performances.
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