Thousands Invited to www.kimmelcenter.org as Virtual Ribbon is Cut on Center's New Web Site
Multimedia Site Salutes CIGNA Foundation for Leadership, $2 Million Gift
August 23, 2001
E-mail invitations will be sent across the Philadelphia region today encouraging people to visit the new Web site for The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Center’s new Internet location at www.kimmelcenter.org features a multimedia timeline of the Center’s history, online access to subscription tickets and Charter Memberships, an interview with architect Rafael Viñoly, and a Kimmel Center event calendar. In recognition of its generous gift to The Campaign to Build The Kimmel Center, the CIGNA Foundation will be permanently recognized on the new Web site’s homepage.
"The CIGNA Foundation has played an important leadership role in the last decade helping to make The Kimmel Center and its Web site a reality, " says RPAC President Leslie Anne Miller.
More than ten years ago, CIGNA Foundation was among the first organizations in the region to make a $1 million gift in support of Philadelphia’s long-desired new concert hall. Recently, under the leadership of H. Edward Hanway, Chief Executive Officer, CIGNA Corporation, the CIGNA Foundation matched that original gift with an additional $1 million dollars, helping to bring The Campaign to Build The Kimmel Center closer to its $265 million goal.
"We at CIGNA recognize the value of the arts in strengthening the communities in which our employees live and work and where we conduct our business, " says Hanway. "That’s why we are very pleased and proud to support The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and launch this new Web site. "
The entire history of the Regional Performing Arts Center is explored on www.kimmelcenter.org’s innovative multimedia timeline. Visitors can scroll through photos, facts, and news clips illustrating milestone moments in the history of this exciting project: from 1857, when the Academy of Music first opened its doors, to The Kimmel Center’s groundbreaking at Broad and Spruce Streets in 1998, to the "Topping Off " ceremony in July 2001.
"The multimedia timeline is truly the highlight of this first phase of the new Web site, " Web Manager Evelyn Taylor explains. "The near future promises further growth and expansion, including the development of interactive educational tools, exclusive content for Members and supporters, and expanded e-commerce systems for single ticket sales. "
Opening in December 2001, the 450,000-square-foot Kimmel Center is located at Broad and Spruce Streets along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, The Kimmel Center joins the historic Academy of Music to become one of the nation’s largest performing arts complexes. The Kimmel Center features 2,500-seat Verizon Hall, a state-of-the-art concert hall with acoustics designed by Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants for The Philadelphia Orchestra, and 650-seat Perelman Theater. The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music will be home to eight of Philadelphia’s premier ensembles: The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, American Theater Arts for Youth, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, PHILADANCO, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops®.
CIGNA Foundation, Inc. is a private foundation funded by contributions from CIGNA Corporation and its subsidiaries. CIGNA Corporation is headquartered in Philadelphia. Its subsidiaries provide employee benefits offered through the workplace, including health care products and services; group life, accident and disability insurance; retirement products and services; and investment management. Web site: http://www.cigna.com.
The Kimmel Center Web site is produced by Zero Defect Design of Paoli, Pennsylvania, an interactive media firm that specializes in creating Web sites for non-profits and arts organizations.
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