The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Celebrates First Anniversary
Public Open House Caps Year of Accomplishments for Philadelphia’s Newest Cultural and Civic Landmark
December 15, 2002
Kimmel Center Chairman Willard G. Rouse III welcomes the crowd to the Anniversary Open House.
To celebrate its first anniversary and all the accomplishments of the inaugural year, The Kimmel Center is throwing a party on Sunday, December 15, from 10am to 2pm. The Kimmel Center First Anniversary Celebration and Open House is free and open to the public.
Highlights of the Anniversary Celebration include free performances in Commonwealth Plaza featuring local and regional artists; free tours of the stunning glass and steel building, including the cello-shaped, acoustically advanced Verizon Hall, the intimate and versatile Perelman Theater and the Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden with its sweeping views of the city skyline; special ticket discounts; and the debut of The Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble.
"Today we celebrate one more time the realization of a dream," said The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Chairman Willard G. Rouse III. "Countless people helped achieve this dream and countless more will shape its legacy. This is a proud day for everyone who dreamed, everyone who believed and everyone who will carry on. The Kimmel Center has altered the landscape of Philadelphia in an extremely important way. It has improved the quality of life for all Philadelphians for generations to come."
The $265 million Kimmel Center opened on December 16, 2001 to rave reviews from around the globe. A staggering 40,000 people lined up to visit on Opening Day. Since then, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has welcomed over a million visitors, earning praise for its diversity and public commitment.
"One of our greatest achievements is seeing how the community has embraced The Kimmel Center," said President and CEO Janice Price. "When you walk around and see people attending free performances in Commonwealth Plaza or visiting the Merck Arts Education Center or just looking up admiringly at the 150-foot vaulted glass ceiling because they’re visiting The Kimmel Center for the first time, it’s thrilling. We look forward to building on that success in the years ahead."
Among the many accomplishments of the inaugural year, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has:
- Opened a state-of-the-art performing arts center that has received local, national, and international acclaim.
- Created a home for many of Philadelphia’s finest performing arts companies, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Peter Nero and the Philly POPS, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, PHILADANCO, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, American Theater Arts for Youth and (at the Academy of Music) Pennsylvania Ballet and the Opera Company of Philadelphia.
- Brought new and diverse audiences to the Avenue of the Arts through the award-winning Kimmel Center Presents programming, which features jazz, world music and dance, pop and classical presentations, family entertainment and special events.
- Made the arts more accessible by offering free performances (currently every Wednesday evening and Saturday and Sunday afternoons), free tours, plus community rush and subsidized ticket programs. The Kimmel Center is open to the public every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and later on evenings with performances.
- Established its role as a community gathering place through special events such as the free September 11th concert, for which all the Resident Companies collaborated to provide the public with a place for reflection and observation.
- Opened the Merck Arts Education Center, which features an interactive learning center and currently holds performing art classes for students three days a week.
- Created The Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble, comprised of 33 middle school students from the greater Philadelphia region who were selected by competitive audition.
- Highlighted local and regional talent weekly on the Commonwealth Plaza stage and (during the all-night Summer Solstice celebration) on the stages of Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater.
Ticketed concerts on December 15 include a performance of Handel’s Messiah by The Philadelphia Orchestra with The Philadelphia Singers at 4pm and Kimmel Center Presents pianist George Winston at 8pm. For more information on these and other events at The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music, call 215-893-1999 or visit online at www.kimmelcenter.org.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts would like to thank the Barra Foundation, Restaurant Associates, Bucks County Coffee, Tasty Baking Company, Robertson’s of Chestnut Hill, Intermission, the Resident Companies of The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music and all The Kimmel Center volunteers and staff for helping to make the First Anniversary Celebration a success.
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