Kimmel Center Presents Announces 2007-08 Season, September 16, 2007 - May 10, 2008
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Season Opens with Johnny Mathis on September 16
Great Orchestras on Tour Series Includes La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirov Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Orchestre National de France
Master Musicians Series Includes Christoph Eschenbach and Friends, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Farewell Tour, Yo-Yo Ma and Lang Lang
Organ Recital Series returns with Dame Gillian Weir, Todd Wilson, and Hector Olivera performing on The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ
Mellon Jazz Fridays Series Includes Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Nnenna Freelon, Djangofest, The Big River Project, and The Movie Music of Spike Lee and Terence Blanchard
Mellon Jazz Up Close "Goes Global" Curated by Danilo Pérez
World & Pop Series to Include Tango Buenos Aires, Salzburg Marionettes, Max Raabe and The Palast Orchester, Youssou N’Dour, Pablo Ziegler, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Expanded Movers and Shakers Dance Series Highlighted by Philadanco, Alvin Ailey 50th Anniversary Celebration, and Shen Wei Dance Arts
Kimmel Center Chairman William P. Hankowsky, Acting President and COO Natalye Paquin, and, Vice President of Programming and Education Mervon Mehta, today announced the 2007-08 season of Kimmel Center Presents concerts, recitals and dance presentations. The Kimmel Center opened its doors in December 2001 and turned five in 2006, having significantly and positively transformed the performing arts landscape in the Philadelphia region. Encompassing classical, jazz, world, pop, educational, and dance presentations, Kimmel Center Presents continues its tradition of presenting a wide array of musically and culturally diverse line-up of performing artists to the Philadelphia and regional community.
"For more than five years now the Kimmel Center has contributed significantly to the cultural life of the city. As the pace of development around the center increases with new shops, restaurants and housing, it is the ongoing cultural life of the city that makes it so attractive to live and work," said Kimmel Center Chairman William P. Hankowsky. "The Kimmel Center’s Board of Directors takes pride in knowing the Center has and continues to present such a diverse series of presentations for the city and the region’s inhabitants."
"Some of the best artists the performing arts world has to offer will again call Philadelphia home during the 2007-08 Kimmel Center Presents season, if even for only a day or two," offered Mervon Mehta, Kimmel Center’s VP of Programming and Education. "We look forward to offering the world’s great orchestras and solo classical artists, legendary and up and coming jazz musicians, world music performers and great dance companies to the Philadelphia and regional audiences. Some great artists will return to their favorite Philadelphia concert stages in Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater and the Academy of Music, plus we have many who have never been here before. Either way, we know that audiences will find something to suit their tastes in this talented and diverse array of great artists."
"The Kimmel Center has added immeasurably to the economic and cultural landscape of the city by introducing to the region artists who are making their debut here in Philadelphia, as well as reuniting Philadelphia audiences with many of their favorite artists, some of whom may not have been here for decades," said Natalye Paquin, Kimmel Center Acting President and COO. "The quality of life in the city and the region is enhanced by both the quality and quantity of great performers, free performances and educational programs offered by the Kimmel Center."
The Kimmel Center Presents 2007-08 Season includes major orchestras on world tours, individual classical instrumentalists performing solo recitals, chamber music; numerous jazz greats as well as up and coming jazz performers performing in a variety of styles; performers from 28 different countries; pop artists from numerous genres; pre- and post-performance artist chats; the Fresh Ink Series; an organ recital series with The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ, with additional organ postludes following other concerts; family friendly presentations; an expanded dance series; and educational concerts and events. In all there are more than 70 performances on nine series, with 40 artists and ensembles making their debut performances in Kimmel Center performance venues. In addition, most Verizon Hall performances are preceded by a Free in the Plaza performance on the Commonwealth Plaza stage, one of a series of Free at the Kimmel events.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007-08 Season
September 16, 2007 - May 10, 2008
Great Orchestras On Tour Series
Each year since the Kimmel Center opened its doors, Kimmel Center Presents has featured some of the world’s most important orchestras and leading conductors in Verizon Hall. That tradition continues this year with La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kirov Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the Orchestre National de France.
The La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Riccardo Chailly, opens the Kimmel Center Presents classical season on Friday, October 12, 2007 as part of its 2007 first-ever U.S. tour with renowned Wagnerian tenor Ben Heppner for a program of selected Wagner opera highlights from Die Walküre, Götterdämmerung, and Siegfried. The program will also include La Strada Suite by Italian composer Nino Rota from master Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini’s hit movie, as well as Respighi’s The Pines of Rome. La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1982 by Claudio Abbado. In its first seasons, many of the world’s great conductors appeared alongside Abbado and have been with the orchestra throughout its history, including Georges Prêtre, Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Carlo Maria Giulini, who directed the orchestra in its first tours abroad. Ben Heppner is recognized worldwide as the finest dramatic tenor before the public today. His performances in the repertoire’s most demanding roles, from Wagner’s Tristan and Lohengrin to Verdi’s Otello and Berlioz’ Aeneas have earned him rave reviews from critics and fans alike. He is acclaimed in music capitals around the world for his beautiful voice, intelligent musicianship, and sparkling dramatic sense. His performances on the opera stage, in concert with orchestra, in recital, and on recordings have set new standards in his demanding repertoire.
"...here was an orchestra that has left its troubles far behind. Unalloyed pleasure on the faces of players, frequent mutual approbation during the performance and Chailly's ample acknowledgement of principals, sections and rank and file alike communicated such positive vibrations as to send the Cardiff audience out into the night on a strong high. Chailly's musicianship was key." The Guardian
The Kirov Orchestra, led by one of the most passionate and busiest conductors working today, Valery Gergiev, comes to Philadelphia on Friday, November 30, 2007 with two of its signature works in an All-Stravinsky program: featuring the complete Firebird Suite and The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps). The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre enjoys a long and distinguished history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. Founded in the 18th century during the reign of Peter the Great, it was known before the Revolution as the Russian Imperial Opera Orchestra. Housed in St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre since 1860 (named in honour of Maria, wife of Emperor Alexander II), the Orchestra entered its true "golden age" in the second half of the 19th century under the musical direction of Eduard Napravnik. Hector Berlioz conducted performances of his own works, with the orchestra and proclaimed afterward "Such an orchestra! Such precision! Such an ensemble!" Renamed the Kirov Opera during the Soviet era, the orchestra has been led by Mravinsky and Yuri Temirkanov, and Valery Gergiev was appointed music director in 1988.
"Gergiev masterfully illuminated the full richness of the instrumental writing....The orchestra sounded spectacular." The Wall Street Journal
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with Murray Perahia in both the roles of conductor and piano soloist, comes to Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. Founded in 1959 by Sir Neville Marriner, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is internationally renowned for its cooperative spirit, its brilliantly energetic sound and exceptionally high standard of musicianship. From its beginnings as a small, directed string ensemble, the Academy is now one of the world's most famous chamber orchestras, with its own chamber ensemble and chorus. Sir Neville's principle of drawing players from a select pool of London's finest musicians has endured. Under Artistic Director Kenneth Sillito and Principal Guest Conductor Murray Perahia, the Academy, with its broad repertoire and structural flexibility, remains one of the most distinguished and sought-after ensembles in the world. In the more than 30 years he has been performing on the concert stage, American pianist, Murray Perahia, has become one of the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time. On March 8, 2004, he was awarded an honorary KBE by Her Majesty The Queen of England, in recognition of his outstanding service to music.
"...performances like Perahia's don't fade from memory... Perahia is never like some musical prophet coming down from the mountain; the pianist dialogues with the composer on the same level. That's why I've never felt dwarfed by Perahia's musical intelligence, only broadened by it." The Philadelphia Inquirer
Orchestre National de France, led by Kurt Masur, will be joined by young French pianist David Fray in Verizon Hall on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Orchestre National de France, France’s first permanent symphony orchestra, was established in 1934. Over the course of its lifetime the orchestra has premiered new works by many of this century’s greatest composers, including Dutilleux, Messiaen, Boulez, Varese and others. In September 2002, the German conductor Kurt Masur became music director of the orchestra after his ten-year tenure at the helm of the New York Philharmonic. 25 year-old pianist David Fray just signed an exclusive recording contract with the major international record label Virgin Classics.
"On evidence here, David Fray is an excellent musician, technically very well equipped but willing to place his virtuosity entirely in the service of the music. His Liszt Sonata has something of the magisterial quality typical of, say, Claudio Arrau, and an equivalent richness and beauty of tone." Classics Today
"The orchestra has a sheen and brightness that bathes the music in a new light... Details were in place, shadings were almost miraculous." The Philadelphia Inquirer
Master Musicians Recital Series
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 Recital Series brings Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to Philadelphia for her farewell tour, as well as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Lang Lang, and Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Christoph Eschenbach gathers some of his musical friends to Verizon Hall’s stage for an evening of solo and chamber music performances.
With fans around the world, New Zealand soprano-great Dame Kiri Te Kanawa begins a year-long farewell recital tour by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa which is bound to be the highlight of any musical season, and her solo recital with pianist Warren Jones in Verizon Hall on Wednesday October 24, 2007 will be no exception. Kiri Te Kanawa gained legendary status almost overnight after her sensational debut as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1971. From then, she moved rapidly into the front rank of international opera, and has become one of the most famous sopranos in the world.
The versatile and virtuoso cellist Yo-Yo Ma comes to Philadelphia for a rare solo cello recital on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 with pianist Kathryn Stott. Ma’s multi-faceted career is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences, and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Whether performing new or familiar works from the cello repertoire, coming together with colleagues for chamber music or exploring cultures and musical forms outside the Western classical tradition, Ma strives to find connections that stimulate the imagination. His most recent recording, Appassionato, has received widespread critical acclaim.
World-renowned young piano virtuoso Lang Lang gives his only Philadelphia performance of the season in Verizon Hall on Sunday, March 16, 2008. At the age of 25 Lang Lang has already appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Berlin Philharmonic, Kirov Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and has collaborated with conductors including Barenboim, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Gergiev, Jansons, Levine, Maazel, Mehta, Rattle, Sawallisch, Temirkanov, Tilson Thomas, and Welser-Möst. He makes regular recital appearances in the main concert halls of major international cities.
"In an age of cookie-cutter performers, Lang Lang stands out for his willingness to take chances, to produce a prism of tone colors (well beyond what Beethoven could have imagined with the instruments of his time), to stretch a tempo just a tad or even all out of proportion... What he did last night was often magical." The Baltimore Sun
For his final Philadelphia appearance of the 2007-08 season, Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Christoph Eschenbach will gather some of his dearest musical colleagues for a recital of solo and chamber music in Verizon Hall on Sunday, May 18, 2008 titled Christoph Eschenbach and Friends. Equally at home at either the piano or on the podium, Eschenbach is a prolific recording artist of more than 50 years and has made numerous recordings, as conductor, pianist, or both. His artistry has been featured in compact discs on more than a dozen record labels. His recordings include works from J.S. Bach to music of our time and he has been an ardent champion of 20th-century music on disc. Details on special guests will be announced shortly.
The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ Recital Series
The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ, completed in May 2006 and inaugurated with a two-week long Organ Festival which gathered audiences and music critics from around the world, is the largest concert hall organ in the country with nearly 7,000 pipes and 125 ranks. This second season of organ recitals will be highlighted by Hector Olivera, Todd Wilson and a rare Philadelphia appearance by Dame Gillian Weir.
"It was certainly put through its paces over the weekend, with orchestra concerts Thursday through Sunday and a solo recital "marathon" Saturday afternoon. At a debriefing afterward attended by all five performers, plus Dobson and his crew and assorted Kimmelians, one organist remarked that expecting a new pipe organ to perform at par or above under such relentless, back-to-back circumstances was like asking a newborn baby to enter college." Musical America
The Kimmel Center Presents Organ Recital Series begins with a performance by organist Todd Wilson on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Todd Wilson is Director of Music and Organist at the Church of the Covenant in (Presbyterian) in Cleveland, Ohio, where he heads a program of choirs as well as a concert series. He is on faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music where he is Chairman of the Organ Department and Director of The University Circle Chorale and Chamber Choir. Mr. Wilson is also Organ Curator of the Norton Memorial Organ (E. M. Skinner, 1931) in Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra.
"...a fabulous virtuoso with fleet feet, a prodigious memory and technique to burn." The Plain Dealer
Known for his prodigious technical abilities, organist Hector Olivera performs on Saturday, February 16, 2008. Oliveira has performed at organ consoles around the world. In 2000, he gave a solo memorial concert in New York City’s St. Paul the Apostle Church as a tribute to his mentor, organist Virgil Fox. In 2004, his appearance before the Guild’s National Convention in Los Angeles was considered an historic triumph by the 2,200 cheering organists, who gave him four standing ovations in 45 minutes.
"... entertained his audience with a dazzling display of sonic and technical marvels. Olivera is an engaging performer that clearly has found his particular niche and fills it splendidly." –The Washington Post
The organ recital series concludes on Saturday, April 12, 2008 with a performance by Dame Gillian Weir. Gillian Weir made her debut at the Royal Albert Hall as soloist in the Poulenc Organ Concerto, on the opening night of the 1965 season of the Promenade Concerts and in the same year at the Royal Festival Hall in recital, then the youngest organist to have played there. Her celebrated career continues to this day with a full performance schedule, playing a key role in music festivals and recitals in premiere venues around the world.
Each concert will be preceded by an Artist Chat featuring Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s PipeDreams.
Sing-Along Messiah
Already a highly anticipated event after only one year, Kimmel Center Presents’ Sing-Along Messiah returns to Verizon Hall on Friday, December 7, 2007. Led by local organist and conductor Jeffrey Brillhart, with 18 year-old organist Nathan Laube at the console, the Sing-Along Messiah will include Philadelphia’s own Singing City Choir and renowned soloists. This joyous celebration of the work of Handel’s beloved holiday season oratorio will once again feature select excerpts, including, "For Unto Us a Child is Born" and "Glory to God." Ticket buyers wishing to participate in this performance are asked to bring their own music.
Keyboard Conversations® With Jeffrey Siegel
With his third season of Keyboard Conversations®, Jeffrey Siegel returns to the Kimmel Center’s Monday’s at the Merck series with three new presentations in Perelman Theater. Siegel has appeared with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, and he has now chosen to develop his Keyboard Conversations®, a unique, concert-plus-commentary format in which he speaks to the audience about the music before performing each work in its entirety. Even the most seasoned music lovers are constantly enlightened and entertained by his erudition and delighted by his wit.
Keyboard Conversations® begins on Monday, November 5, 2007 with a program titled Franz Schubert: On Wings Of Song, a program featuring a feast of beautiful melodies, including the dramatic C Minor Impromptu, a set of enchanting waltzes, the fiery F Minor Impromptu, and the virtuoso Wanderer Fantasy.
The second in the series takes place on Monday, February 4, 2008 and is titled Festive French Fare!: The Music of Debussy, Ravel, Faure, and Saint Saens, featuring sounds that caress the ear. The program includes Debussy's Reflections on the Water, Ravel's spellbinding Noble and Sentimental Waltzes, Faure's buoyant A Flat Impromptu and Saint-Saëns diabolical Dance Macabre.
The series concludes on Monday, April 28, 2008 with a program called Franz Liszt: The Devil Made Me Do It! This program features the musical battle between Satan and Saint with Mephisto Waltz No. 1, the dreamy D Flat Consolation, the famous A Minor Etude after Paganini, and the composer's own hair raising solo piano transcription of Totentanz, "dance of death!"
Fresh Ink Series
The Kimmel Center’s Fresh Ink Series in Perelman Theater returns this season with yet more serious adventure for adventurous audiences wanting to experience the new and unusual both in repertoire and performers. Fresh Ink this year includes some of the most vibrant and adventurous performers and ensembles on the world stage today, including Ethel, Phil Kline, So Percussion, and a special add-on concert with pianist Christopher O’Riley.
Fresh Ink begins with Ethel on Saturday, October 13, 2007 performing selected works from their new cd Light. Described as bluesy, hard swinging, playful, and fueled by fiery passion, this band of four world-class Juilliard-trained musicians from New York City defies categorization. Musically omnivorous, Ethel has been described as "the fiercest string quartet this side of hell," and "the most bad-ass quartet around." John Walters of the Guardian (UK) says, "I wish there were more rock bands who played like Ethel." Committed to reaching audiences of all stripes, the band continues to receive critical acclaim from major publications including The New York Times, The LA Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Billboard magazine.
So Percussion makes their Philadelphia debut on Saturday, February 2, 2008 with a program which includes David Lang’s "The So Called Laws of Nature." So Percussion was never intended to be just another modern performance ensemble. Following two acclaimed albums of adventurous music by modern master Steve Reich and even-more-modern masters David Lang and Evan Ziporyn, as well as ongoing collaborations with "hepcat" Björk producers Matmos, the 20-something quartet has discovered a bold new voice of their own.
"What I heard in the performance of So Percussion was the care and concern for the subtler things, the quiet moments, the phrasing... an emotional quality in their playing...very fresh and highly shaped versions of music I thought I knew. I found their performances revelatory and very persuasive." David Lang, Composer
"Fear And Loathing," the music of Phil Kline, on Saturday, April 5, 2008 includes the composer’s "Zippo Songs," based on the writings of Vietnam G.I.s, as well as "Fear and Loathing," based on the writings of noted writer Hunter S. Thompson. "Fear And Loathing" is a song cycle based on Thompson's works, drawing inspiration not only from the "gonzo" classics which bear that name, but from various essays, letters, and unpublished personal writings. "Zippo Songs" originated when the composer found out about poems American G.I.s scratched on their lighters in Vietnam. These inscriptions contain a world of emotion that spoke to him without the baggage of political commentary. Theo Blackman provides the vocals for "Zippo Songs" and Wilbur Pauley will be the vocalist for "Fear and Loathing."
Fresh Ink Series Add-On Concert
Christopher O’Riley brings his unique piano transcriptions of the music of Radiohead, Nick Drake and Elliott Smith to this Fresh Ink series Add-On event on Friday, February 29, 2008. From his groundbreaking piano transcriptions of Radiohead to his unforgettable interpretations of classic and new repertoire, pianist Christopher O'Riley has redefined the possibilities of classical music. He has taken his unique vision to both traditional classical music venues and symphonic settings, as well as to entirely new audiences on the radio, and at universities and even clubs.
Each of the concerts on the Fresh Ink Series will be recorded by WRTI-FM for delayed broadcast and will conclude with an "Artist Chat" featuring that evening’s artists and Kimmel Center Director of Programming, Thomas Warner, during which performers speak about their music making as well as take questions from the audience.
Mellon Jazz At The Kimmel Center
The rich history and tradition of jazz in Philadelphia is on par with that of many other great cities across the country. Many great jazz artists were either born and grew up in Philadelphia, or at one time called the city home because of its numerous clubs and venues. The Kimmel Center’s Mellon Jazz series continues to celebrate and contribute to that tradition by presenting both jazz artists from Philadelphia as well as those who land on the world’s stages.
Mellon Jazz Fridays
Opening the series is six-time Grammy® Award-nominee Nnenna Freelon as she teams up with the world famous Count Basie Orchestra on Friday, September 28, 2007. Singer, composer, producer, and arranger, Concord Records artist Nnenna Freelon, has earned numerous awards including the Billie Holiday Award, Eubie Blake Award, as well as accolades for her work on behalf of children and education. The present-day Count Basie Orchestra is led by long-time trombonist and Basie alum, Bill Hughes, with Butch Miles driving the rhythm section as drummer. Multi-generational musical genius, sensitive melodic renderings, and powerhouse swing—this and so much more is the legacy of William James Basie.
"...by the time it (her show) was over, there was no doubt that Freelon has now positioned herself in the very top echelon of jazz vocalists." The Los Angeles Times
The Paquito D’Rivera Quintet shares the bill with Ms. Freelon. Most recently D’Rivera received his 9th Grammy® for Best Classical Recording for the record Riberas with the Buenos Aires String Quartet, and is a recipient of the National Medal for the Arts, presented at the White House by President George W. Bush on November 10, 2005. Additionally in 2005 D'Rivera was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master. D’Rivera will lead a quintet including Diego Urcola, trumpet, valve trombone; Alon Yavni, piano; Oscar Stagnaro, bass; Mark Walker, drums, and he will also sit in with the Basie Band for a rousing opening night finale.
Two styles of guitar-based jazz come together in a single evening when legendary jazz guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt is remembered and celebrated with a performance by Djangofest On Tour on Friday, November 2, 2007. Djangofest hits the road to come to Philadelphia for a celebration of the music and spirit of the great French Gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt and the 100th birthday of his musical comrade Stephane Grapelli. This is a unique opportunity for Gypsy Jazz fans to enjoy the music of Reinhardt brought to life by Philly’s own Kruno Spisic as well as numerous virtuoso special guests. Also on the program is the John Pizzarelli Trio with The Swing Seven. John Pizzarelli has had a multi-faceted career as a jazz guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Internationally known for classic standards, late-night ballads, and the cool jazz flavor he brings to his performances and recordings, he has recently established himself as the consummate entertainer and radio program host with the launch of "Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli," a nationally syndicated radio program co-hosted with his wife, Broadway star Jessica Molaskey.
"A master guitarist [Pizzarelli], connoisseur of songs, mimic and storyteller, he embodies the concept of fluidity: everything comes out of everything else." New York Times
The influence of bassist and band leader Charles Mingus lives on long after his death in 1979 with the The Mingus Big Band which comes to the Kimmel Center on Friday, February 22, 2008. Mingus found himself at the forefront of the avant-garde and his recordings bear witness to that extraordinarily creative body of work, including Pithecanthropus Erectus, The Clown, Tijuana Moods, Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Ah Um, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Cumbia, Jazz Fusion, and Let My Children Hear Music. He recorded over a hundred albums and wrote over three hundred scores. The Mingus Big Band today proudly carries forward that creative tradition.
"The jazz repertory event of the season. . . [the Big Band] is digging into the repertoire of Charles Mingus, playing old and new arrangements that capture the best parts of the Mingus legacy: the muscle, the affection for history, the willingness to take chances, the guts and soulfulness." The New York Times
Yet more jazz history and innovation is on the program with T.S. Monk Sextet performing "Monk On Coltrane." T.S. Monk, a drummer, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, was drawn to the drums before the age of 10 and his destiny sealed when Max Roach, with whom he studied, gave him his first drum set. After earning a reputation in school as a rabble-rouser, the young Monk joined his father's trio and toured with his dad until the elder Monk's retirement in 1975. T.S. then launched into the music that had captivated him and his generation, R&B. He first toured with a group called Natural Essence and afterward, with his sister Barbara, formed his own band with which he had two hit recordings, House Of Music and More Of The Good Life, where he played drums, arranged, and sang.
The evening will begin with an "Artist Chat" featuring Charles Mingus’ widow, Sue Mingus, and Kimmel Center VP of Programming Mervon Mehta.
The Wayne Shorter Quartet returns to Verizon Hall on Friday, March 28, 2008. As a follow up to his 2003 Grammy® Award-winning Alegria, Blue Note recording artist and saxophonist-composer Wayne Shorter, never one to rest on his historic accomplishments, returned with another exhilarating live recording that captured the risk-taking chemistry of his celebrated quartet on tour. Beyond the Sound Barrier also won a Grammy® award in 2006 and continues the remarkable group-think and deconstructivist aesthetic that Shorter established with pianist Danilo Perez (also Artistic Advisor of the Mellon Jazz Up Close series), bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade.
Terell Stafford Quartet comes to Verizon Hall for this program as well. On the faculty of Temple University, Stafford has been hailed as "one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player" by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Known for being a gifted and versatile player with a voice all his own, Stafford combines lyricism and a deep love of melody with a spirited, adventurous edge. This uniquely expressive, well-defined musical talent allows Stafford the ability to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.
"CD (New Beginnings) is killer...a must have! "Even one run-through was enough to know it's his strongest CD yet, a veritable piñata of goodies. It's packed with great material, nicely balanced between originals, expertly-rendered standards, and innovative takes on traditional tunes, all full of crackling energy." All About Jazz
The Dave Brubeck Quartet returns to the Kimmel Center on Wednesday, April 16, 2008. This innovative and groundbreaking pianist/composer keeps active today with a quartet that both celebrates the history they made 45 years ago, and yet stays vitally fresh and musically creative today.
The Freddy Cole Trio fills out this program. Cole doesn't apologize for sounding like his brother, Nat "King" Cole. There are certain unmistakable similarities. He plays piano and sings and performs live with guitar and upright bass, just like Nat. Yet his voice is raspier, smokier, jazzier even, and has emerged from the awesome shadow cast by his elder brother. His phrasing is far closer to that of Frank Sinatra or Billie Holiday than that of his brother, and his timing swings a little more. His vocals - suave, elegant, formidable, and articulate - are among the most respected in jazz. Cole's career continues to ascend as he has moved into the front ranks of America's homegrown art form with a style and musical sophistication all his own.
"Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing... he is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive." The New York Times
Mellon Jazz Series Add-On Concerts
The Big River Project comes to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday, December 2, 2007. Begun in St. Louis in 2006, The Big River Project celebrates New Orleans’s unique culture and music with some of today’s most talented jazz artists with deep roots in the music of the Big Easy, including Ellis Marsalis, piano; Don Vappie, guitar; Reginald Veal, bass; Peter Martin, piano; Herlin Riley, drums; Wess "Warmdaddy" Anderson, saxophone; Victor Goines, saxophone; and Jeremey Davenport, trumpet.
Regarded by many as one of the most important feature and documentary filmmakers of our time, Spike Lee has collaborated with composer/trumpet player Terence Blanchard on numerous film projects. Together they come to Philadelphia for a program which premiered at New York’s Carnegie Hall, The Movie Music Of Spike Lee And Terence Blanchard on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
Highlights will include selections from Bamboozled, Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever and the recent award-winning hurricane Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke. Spike Lee serves as Master of ceremonies for the evening which will include Terence Blanchard’s Quintet and a chamber- size orchestra.
Mellon Jazz Up Close Goes Global
Panamanian jazz pianist Danilo Pérez joined forces with the Kimmel Center Presents series in 2002 to begin programming "Mellon Jazz Up Close," which has now become a much-anticipated series by both Philadelphia audiences and critics alike.
"Over the past four years we have brought Philly audiences an intimate look at some of the biggest names in jazz like Randy Weston and Jon Faddis as well as introducing them to many new-comers such as Claudio Ragazzi and Edward Simon," said Mellon Jazz Up Close series curator Danilo Pérez. “We have celebrated the music of Dizzy and Coltrane, heard from American Masters including Von Freeman and Ellis Marsalis, and we’ve explored the birth of jazz with artists from the gulf coast. But there is so much more out there beyond our borders, so this year we have decided to go global with five nights of remarkable jazz artists who have taken America's music and bent it, shaped it, swung it and, now, bring it back to us in their own unique way."
For the 2007-08 season, which again includes five presentations, Pérez and the Kimmel Center will take audiences on a musical journey around the world, sampling some of the best performers from a variety of cultures in a series titled Mellon Jazz Up Close Goes Global including Japan, Canada, Africa, Eastern Europe and Western Europe.
The Mellon Jazz Up Close Goes Global series begins with "Japan" on Saturday, November 17, 2007. Born in Japan, jazz trumpeter Toru "Tiger" Okoshi has performed and toured regularly with the Gary Burton Trio as well as his own band bringing his unique jazz styling to the stage. For the Kimmel Center series he will assemble an all-star line-up of jazz artists from his home country to explore music from traditional Japanese folk music to Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie.
Second in the series is a journey north to "Canada" on Saturday, December 1, 2007. Toronto soprano saxophonist, flutist and bandleader, Jane Bunnett has built her career at the crossroads between Cuban music and jazz. Twice nominated for Grammy® awards and a fixture of the nominations for Canada’s Juno awards, she has turned her bands into showcases for the finest musical talent from Canada, the United States and Cuba.
The series continues on to "Africa" for the third concert on Saturday, March 1, 2008. Dubbed the "The African Sting," Cameroonian bassist-vocalist-composer Richard Bona maintains his universal appeal by using a crossbreed musical effect of combining African influences with Latin rhythms, jazz, bossa nova, pop and funk. Beninian guitarist, Lionel Loueke, who has worked with Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Charlie Haden, sits in for this set.
The fourth concert in this series moves on to "Eastern Europe" on Saturday, March 29, 2008. Growing up in the colorful and complex cultural environment of Hungary, Daniel Szabo is a versatile jazz pianist-composer who has a unique musical voice performing both original compositions and standard arrangements. Joining him is Czech vocalist Marta Topferova, whose latest CD, Flor Nocturna, has garnered raves reviews.
The Mellon Jazz Up Close series concludes with "Western Europe" on Saturday, May 3, 2008. In the true spirit of jazz, our own Danilo Pérez and flamenco guitarist, Gerardo Núñez join forces for an evening of boundary breaking music accompanied by a flamenco dancer. Joining in on bass will be Pérez’ fellow Wayne Shorter band mate, John Pattitucci.
Each of the five concerts in the Mellon Jazz Up Close series will be recorded live by WRTI-FM for delayed broadcast and features an intermission Artist Chat led by Danilo Pérez and Mervon Mehta, along with the musicians performing that evening, and explores the music heard in concert that evening as well as their musical styles and influences.
World & Pop Series
The wealth and diversity of musical languages around the globe has a special place on the Kimmel Center’s stages, and this year’s World & Pop Series continues that exploration to bring some of the best and most unusual world and pop music to the region’s audiences, with additional shows to be added at a later date.
Johnny Mathis, one of the most popular male pop vocalists of the past five decades, returns to open the Kimmel Center Presents 2007-08 season on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Virtually a living legend with nearly 40 recordings in his discography, Mathis is one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 hits spanning each of the four decades since the 1950s. His many honors include two inductions into the Grammy® Hall of Fame; two Grammy® nominations; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; performances for two U.S. presidents and five first ladies; performances for the British Royal Family and the President of Liberia; a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; and 26 gold, platinum and multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA. Mathis has also recorded with such notable musicians as Denice Williams, Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, and the late Ray Charles. His latest CD, Isn’t It Romantic: The Standards Album, includes ten classic selections written by some of the greatest songwriters of all time, including the Mathis/Charles duet "Over the Rainbow."
The passion and color of Mexico come to life on Verizon Hall stage with a performance by Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández on Sunday, October 14, 2007. The company was founded in 1952, by dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández, with the intent of reviving the rapidly disappearing folk traditions of her native Mexico, and has given more than 5,000 performances world-wide. The music, dance and costume of Mexican folklore combined with their talented performers have achieved national and international success.
"...Amalia Hernández is an expert at putting together fast-paced entertaining shows that can make viewers want to rush right off to Mexico" New York Times
Tango Buenos Aires, one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the Americas, Europe and the Far East as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the Tango comes to the Kimmel Center on Sunday, October 21, 2007. The Argentine tango makes use of a mixture of African and Spanish antecedents, with a strong influence from the Argentine milonga which is sung by Gauchos, the Argentine "cowboys." In its beginnings, the tango was an ill-famed dance, fashionable in dance halls and cabarets as its choreography called for couples to hold each other very close. Tango choreography allows for a lot of creativity, requiring breaks in the rhythm and perfect coordination between the dancers.
"Sometimes playful, sometimes dramatic, and always sensuous, the closely entwined bodies and limbs moved with amazing speed through deftly engineered movements, including frequent dips, deep slides, energetic foot stomps and ballet-like turns." Ruidoso News
Born in Peru and based in Mexico for more than 20 years, Tania Libertad returns to the Kimmel Center on Saturday, October 27, 2007. With 36 CD releases, and with sales of over 4 million, her work has been hailed throughout the Americas, Europe and Africa. Her most recent recordings Costa Negra and Negro Color have established her as one of the most important singers in World Music. Hailed for fearlessness and freedom, tastefulness and vocal virtuosity, absolute integrity, passion and commitment to life and to humanity, she was recently named Honorary UNESCO Peace Ambassador.
"The first time I heard Tania Libertad sing, it was a revelation from on high - from a place where only a naked voice might go, alone in the world, unaccompanied by any instrument. Tania was singing the Rafael Alberti composition "La Paloma" a capella, and each note touched a string in my soul until I was completely dazzled." Nobel Prize winning author José Saramago
Kimmel Center Presents visits the golden age of dance and film music when Max Raabe and Palast Orchester return to fill Perelman Theater with the nostalgic sounds of the Great American Songbook, Germany and beyond on Saturday, November 3, 2007. Performing the music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Allie Wrubel and Franz Lehár, this 12-piece, German-based dance band brings the spirit and romance of the 1920’s and 30’s to life right here in Philadelphia. Experience the band that is versatile enough to play in concert halls as well as to perform for Marilyn Manson’s wedding.
Taking an opera company on the road can be a hugely difficult undertaking, except for the delights that come with the Salzburg Marionettes, which comes to the Kimmel Center November 8-10, 2007 with their productions of Mozart’s Magic Flute and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Anyone who believes that the Marionette Theatre is only for children is very wrong: world-class artists, including stage-directors and designers, return again and again to work with the Salzburg Marionettes. In 1996 the Salzburg Marionettes participated in performances of Weber's opera Oberon at the Salzburg Festival.
"Although puppetry is an ancient art, the Salzburgers are among the most respected and long-lived companies in Western puppetry." Newark Star Ledger
Senegalese performer Youssou N’Dour makes his Kimmel Center debut on Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Modern Senegalese popular music, known in the Wolof language as mbalax ["UMM-BAH-LAAKH"], an enchanting blend of Senegal's traditional percussion and griot singing with Afro-Cuban and indigenous dance flavors, has found in Youssou N'Dour both its enduring symbol and its hardiest innovator. Born in Dakar, N’Dour is a vocal artist with incredible range and poise, and was dubbed "the West African Sinatra" by New York Newsday. He has made mbalax famous throughout the world in more than twenty years of touring outside of Senegal with his band, the Super Etoile, having begun as a teenager. The Super Etoile "plays with a joyous precision," The Los Angeles Times noted, and The (London) Guardian has called their music "the finest example yet of the meeting of African and Western music: wholesome, urgent and thoughtful." N’Dour’s next CD will be released in late summer or early fall 2007.
Founded in 1948 with the goal of preserving Polish culture, Mazowsze makes their Kimmel Center debut and first Philadelphia appearance in ten years on Saturday, November 24, 2007. Colorful authentic ethnic costumes, stirring Polish folk music, combined with complex choreography make for an evening of dance and pageantry.
"There's nothing more magnificent than Mazowsze. The famous Polish group has started touring America for the eighth time since Mazowsze was founded in 1948. …giving a rich, uplifting performances…" New York Times
Always a delight, Vienna Choir Boys’ annual celebration of the holidays takes place this year on Saturday, December 1, 2007. Their youthful voices will fill Verizon Hall for a wonderful afternoon of holiday cheer. In 1498, more than half a millennium ago, Emperor Maximilian I of Austria moved his court, and his court musicians from Innsbruck to Vienna, and gave specific instructions that there were to be six boys among his musicians. Historians have thus settled on 1498 as the official foundation date of the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle and along with it the formation of the Vienna Boys’ Choir.
The flair and flavor of Argentina comes to the Kimmel Center on Saturday, December 8, 2007 with Pablo Ziegler and his Trio For New Tango. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Latin Grammy® winning pianist Pablo Ziegler was invited to join Astor Piazzolla's New Tango Quintet In 1978 and for the next ten years he performed with this group throughout Europe, Japan and North America, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, Sapporo Jazz Festival, Central Park SummerStage, and the Istanbul Festival, among others. Ziegler formed his own Quartet for New Tango in 1990. Hector del Curto on bandoneon and Claudio Ragazzi on guitar will fill out the trio.
The Blind Boys of Alabama bring their Christmas Show, Go Tell It On The Mountain to the Kimmel Center on Sunday, December 9, 2007. The Blind Boys of Alabama have spread the spirit and energy of pure soul gospel music for over 60 years, ever since the first version of the group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. Today, founding members Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter are joined by more recent arrivals Bishop Billy Bowers, Joey Williams, Ricky McKinnie, Bobby Butler, and Tracy Pierce on a mission to expand the audience for traditional soul-gospel singing while incorporating contemporary songs and innovative arrangements into their hallowed style.
Joining The Blind Boys on this program from New Orleans is The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Mixing vibrant instrumental pieces with simmering, scorching vocal numbers, the Dirty Dozen has translated songs from Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On into their own musical language for their new album of the same name. The new recording is infused with the powerful feelings resulting from the band’s own experiences with Hurricane Katrina, the subsequent massive flooding and the devastation of their homes and communities.
Award-winning Philadelphia bass player and afternoon host on WJJZ, Gerald Veasley has played with many of the world’s most important jazz artists, including McCoy Tyner and Dizzy Gillespie, and "brings it on home" in Verizon Hall on Tuesday December 11, 2007 with special guests Gerald Albright, alto sax; Chuck Loeb, guitar; and British vocal sensation Maysa.
The traditional sounds of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland come to Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center when Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards perform in Verizon Hall on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Performing with all the military precision and pageantry they’re famous for, the large ensembles will feature bagpipes, traditional military marches, drum solos and Celtic dancing.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo returns to the Kimmel Center on Sunday, January 20, 2008. Since Paul Simon brought their sound to America, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and their soaring harmonies have symbolized for listeners the battered, undaunted soul of South Africa.
Philadelphia favorite living legend, DJ Jerry Blavat "The Geator with the Heater," gives one of his famous Soul Sound Spectacular performances with surprise special guests on Saturday, January 26, 2008. Ticket buyers are invited to come early and stay late for the Geator’s Dance Parties on the Commonwealth Plaza stage.
The Paco Peña Flamenco Ensemble returns to bring its vibrant and authentic flamenco performance to Verizon Hall on Sunday, January 27, 2008. Considered one of the world’s great flamenco guitarists, Paco Peña leads an ensemble of musicians and dancers steeped in the tradition of southern Spain’s song, dance and music.
From Armenia, Shoghaken Ensemble performs on Saturday, February 9, 2008. The Shoghaken Ensemble, founded by Gevorg Dabaghyan in 1991, has become the preeminent traditional folk music ensemble in Armenia. Dedicated to rediscovering and continuing Armenia's extraordinary folk music history, the group presents music and dance from a broad geographical and historical span using traditional instruments and song styles.
The 5 Browns make their Kimmel Center debut on Saturday, February 23, 2008. This youthful, all-American quintet of brothers and sisters, each a virtuoso concert pianist, swept the classical world in 2005 with the release of their self-titled first recording for RCA Red Seal, which landed them at the top of the weekly Billboard charts and, at the end of the year, as one of the Top Classical Artists of 2005. With their next album No Boundaries, they are delivering on their dream of waking up classical music and introducing it to the widest, largest and most excited audience they can find.
"One family, five pianos and 50 fingers add up to the biggest classical music sensation in years. When these kids do Rachmaninoff, they’ll make you forget about Marshall amps." The New York Post
The Chieftains, a perennial Philadelphia favorite, return to the Kimmel Center to celebrate all things Irish on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Six-time Grammy® Award winners, The Chieftains, are now recognized for bringing traditional Irish music to the world's attention. They have uncovered the wealth of traditional Irish music that has accumulated over the centuries, making the music their own with a style that is as exhilarating as it is definitive.
PLEASE NOTE: Additional World & Pop concerts will be announced at a later date.
Movers And Shakers Dance Series
Philadelphia’s own modern dance company in residence at the Kimmel Center, Philadanco, will present both a winter and spring series of performances in Perelman Theater.
Xmas Philes on December 13-16, 2007 is a Philadelphia favorite with Yuletide cheer in Philadanco’s own inimitable style, now in its newly expanded version. Choreographed by Daniel Ezralow, it is a mesmerizing tapestry of holiday music and dance from "Silent Night" to "Zat You Santa Claus?" The first half of the program will feature favorites from Philadanco’s repertory.
Philadanco’s spring production, May 8-11, 2008 includes some of the company’s most loved repertory, including: Tally Betty’s Pretty is Skin Deep but Ugly to the Bone; Gene Hill Sagan’s Sweet Agony; Milton Meyers’ Love and Pain; and a new work by choreographer Christopher Huggins. Praised for their "high-power energy" by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, company founder Joan Myers Brown was recently honored in 2006 with a Dance Magazine Award for her work with the company.
"It only took the Philadelphia Dance Company 36 years to come to Cleveland—far too long. The troupe that nurtures black dancers and choreographers also is known as Philadanco, which better conveys the vitality and humanity that founder and executive director Joan Myers Brown has instilled in her remarkable organization." Cleveland Plain Dealer
Artist Chats will be held following the first performance of each of the two Philadanco sets of performances in December and May with Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown, dancers and choreographers from the evening, and Kimmel Center Presents Director of Programming Tom Warner.
One of America’s most revered modern dance companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates its 50th Anniversary and comes to Philadelphia for three performances in the Academy of Music April 25-26, 2008. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from the now fabled performance in March 1958, at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 21 million people in 48 states and in 68 countries on six continents, including two historic residencies in South Africa. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
"There was color, passion, lyricism, energy and loads of talent, but what really won over a large crowd of Parisians to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater this week was something all too often overlooked amid the abstraction and intellectualism of contemporary dance. Sexiness." The New York Times
The highly innovative Shen Wei Dance Arts Company thrilled audiences with their unique athletic and graceful style in 2004, and returns to Philadelphia February 15-17, 2008 with a program of two Philadelphia premieres, Map and Re— in Perelman Theater. Shen Wei Dance Arts is dedicated to the creation of new dance in the twenty-first century. The company is founded upon the fusion of art forms: dance, theater, Chinese opera, painting and sculpture. The multi-layered works are based upon research in original movement, spiritual beliefs and development of a unique hybridism between western and eastern cultures. At once representational and abstract, Shen Wei's choreography is the moving medium among complementary visual elements in the works he creates. The performance space is best described as a canvas, with dimensionality and negative space serving as both landscape and character in the choreography.
"The visual and emotional impact is overwhelming. [Shen Wei's] vision is painterly, mathematical and idiosyncratic. In this eclecticism, movement becomes pure: this Rite of Spring dazzles with its amazing objectivism, its reach beyond ordinary meaning." The New York Times
This Shen Wei Dance Arts performances are supported in part by a grant from Dance Advance, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, administered by The University of the Arts.
Subscription Information
Subscription packages for the Kimmel Center Presents 2007-08 season range in price from $54-$394, go on sale Thursday, March 1, 2007, 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 for Cadillac Broadway Series, and more. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
Single tickets will go on sale in August, 2007.
Kimmel Center Presents Sponsors
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2007/2008 Season is supported by: Mellon Financial Corporation & ARC Wheeler. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
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 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 designed to promote literacy development and 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 Cadillac Broadway Series of performances.
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