Kimmel Center Presents Announces 2008-2009 Season,
March 6, 2008
Season Opens with the Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock Trio Performance on September 19, 2008
Great Orchestras on Tour Series Includes Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra
Master Musicians Series Includes Itzhak Perlman, Daniel Barenboim, Hilary Hahn, Krystian Zimerman
Organ Recital Series Returns with Vincent Dubois, Jane Parker-Smith, James David Christie Performing on The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ
Jazz Fridays Series Includes Keith Jarrett with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock, Cassandra Wilson with Brian Blade Fellowship, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Blue Note 70th Anniversary Tour, and Conga Kings with Tiempo Libre
Jazz Up Close Pays Tribute to Miles Davis' Top Selling Jazz Album of All Time, Kind of Blue, and the Musicians Who Made It Legendary
World & Pop Series to Include the Boston Pops Esplanade, Ravi Shankar with Anoushka Shankar, Béla Fleck and The Flecktones, Soweto Gospel Choir, Sol Y Canto, Tango Fire with Estampas Porteñas, Fado Singer Mariza, KODO Drummers, Natalie MacMaster and David Bromberg Band, Simon Shaheen, Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer, John Sebastian and David Grisman, and The Chieftains
Movers and Shakers Dance Series Highlighted by Philadanco, La La La Human Steps, and Rennie Harris Puremovement
Kimmel Center, Inc. (KCI) President and CEO Anne Ewers, and KCI Vice President of Programming and Education Mervon Mehta, announced plans today for the 2008-09 season of Kimmel Center Presents concerts, recitals and dance presentations, sponsored by Citi. Now in its seventh year of operation, the Kimmel Center continues to present a wide range of diverse, world-renowned talent to the Philadelphia region. These distinguished, award-winning artists continue to choose the Kimmel Center stages as a place to share performances rich in diversity, color, and world culture with an annual audience of over 95,000.
Since its opening, the state-of-the-art facility has positively transformed the arts and culture scene in Philadelphia with increased visibility for the classical, jazz, world, pop, and dance genres, as well as educational opportunities and programming choices that complement the offerings of its resident companies. The Kimmel Center continues to have a positive impact on the region’s economic and artistic growth as a dynamic performing arts venue functioning as the city’s creative hub.
"I am proud to announce such an exciting and diverse series of performances for the 2008-09 season," said KCI President and CEO Anne Ewers. "The Kimmel Center continues to serve the entire region by bringing the community world-class performances from some of the greatest classical artists of our day including the finest orchestras in the world, the most important artists in jazz, dance and world music, and the very best from Broadway. Our commitment to serving our community goes well beyond the performances on our stages with offerings ranging from our Free at the Kimmel events in Commonwealth Plaza, to educational programs that spark the imagination of the next generation. The Kimmel Center truly is becoming a catalyst for creative artistic collaborations, and our performance series are the perfect complement to our prestigious resident companies’ unique seasons."
"We are thrilled to announce the diverse lineup of top performers who are either returning or making their debuts at the Kimmel Center," said KCI Vice President of Programming and Education Mervon Mehta. "We’re constantly looking to expose the Philadelphia community to new voices, of both local and international talent, who are passionate about what they do and reflect the pluralistic society that we live in. We’re confident that everyone in Philadelphia will be able to find a concert or special event in one of the Kimmel Center Presents series that reflects their interests, from a great orchestra on tour and a Friday jazz concert, to a dance recital or a performer from another part of the world. We also wanted to thank Citi for their generous support in making this happen."
"Citi is proud to be the presenting sponsor for the Kimmel Center's 2008-09 season," said Citi Philadelphia Market Leader Bill Brown. "The Kimmel Center is Philadelphia's premier arts organization and Citi is thrilled to help bring the world-class performances of the upcoming season to the Philadelphia community. At Citi, we are committed to making a difference in the communities where we work and live."
The Kimmel Center Presents 2008-09 Season includes major orchestras on world tours, individual classical instrumentalists performing recitals, numerous jazz greats as well as up-and-coming jazz musicians representing a variety of styles; performers from 20 different countries; pop artists from numerous genres; pre- and post-performance Artist Chats; the Fresh Ink Series; an organ recital series on The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ, with additional organ postludes following other concerts; family friendly presentations; the Movers & Shakers dance series; and educational concerts and events. In all there are more than 58 performances in nine series, with 23 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, part of a series of Free at the Kimmel events.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS 2008-09 SEASON
September 19, 2008 – May 9, 2009
GREAT ORCHESTRAS ON TOUR SERIES
Each year since the Kimmel Center opened its doors, Kimmel Center Presents has featured internationally acclaimed orchestras and leading conductors in Verizon Hall. That tradition continues this year with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Lorin Maazel, opens the Kimmel Center Presents classical season on Friday, October 3, 2008 as part of Maazel’s final tour as music director of the nation’s oldest orchestra. Maazel leads the world-famous orchestra through an All-Tchaikovsky program featuring: Suite No. 3, Op. 55 in G Major and Symphony No. 4. Maazel has led more than 150 orchestras in more than 5,000 opera and concert performances. He became Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in 2002, an appointment that recalled his debut with the Orchestra 60 years earlier at Lewisohn Stadium, then the Orchestra’s summer venue. In his first four seasons as the Philharmonic’s Music Director, he conducted four World Premieres—New York Philharmonic Commissions, including the Pulitzer Prize and Grammy® Award-winner On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams, among other acclaimed works. New York Philharmonic President Zarin Mehta will join Mervon Mehta for a pre-concert Artist Chat to discuss the orchestra’s recent trip to North Korea, a journey marking the first time an American cultural organization has appeared in the country, as well as the largest amount of U.S. citizens to appear in North Korea since the war (The New York Times).
"[Lorin Maazel] delivered, conducting a lucidly textured, rhythmically incisive and strongly conceived account…." —New York Times
The Israel Philharmonic, led by one of today’s uniquely gifted conductors, Gustavo Dudamel, comes to Philadelphia on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 with a program featuring Bernstein’s Jubilee Games and Halil, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98. Making his Philadelphia debut and hailed by The London Times as "South America’s lightning conductor," Dudamel is a 27 year-old Venezuelan phenomenon whose talent spread worldwide after his triumph at the inaugural Bamberger Symphoniker Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in May 2004. Currently Principal Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Dudamel was recently appointed the Music Director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, effective in 2009-10. He currently enters his ninth year as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, where he began studying conducting in 1999 with José Antonio Abreu, the Orchestra’s founder. In May 2007, Dudamel was awarded the Premio de la Latindad by the Union Latina, an honor given for outstanding contributions to Latin cultural life.
"…[Dudamel] delivered teeming, impassioned and supremely confident performances…Clearly, the Philharmonic players were inspired by the boundless joy and intensity of his music-making…Mr. Dudamel has a powerfully intuitive feeling for color and character in music."—New York Times
Long considered one of America’s great orchestras, the Cleveland Orchestra, with conductor Franz Welser-Möst returns to Philadelphia for the first time in six years on Sunday, February 8, 2009. Welser-Möst leads one of the world’s most-revered symphonic ensembles through a program of two of the most celebrated symphonies: Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G Minor and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, "Leningrad." Founded in 1918 under the direction of Russian-American conductor Nikolai Sokoloff, the Cleveland Orchestra made its permanent home in Severance Hall, in Cleveland’s University Circle area in 1932. Under the helm of Welser-Möst since 2002, the Orchestra has maintained a steadfast commitment to its long-standing traditions of artistic excellence, educational outreach, and community service. In January 2007, the Orchestra began its 10-year residency project in Miami at the Adrienne Arsht Center (formerly known as the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts), which is comprised of three weeks of concerts and educational collaborations each winter.
"Mr. Welser- Möst’s performance was incisive and lively" —New York Times
Setting the standard for all other orchestras, the long-anticipated return of the internationally renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Zubin Mehta, will be joined by piano virtuoso Lang Lang in Verizon Hall on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. Philadelphia’s classical music event of the year will have legendary conductor Zubin Mehta lead the Vienna Philharmonic and Lang Lang through a program that includes Wagner’s Overture to Rienzi; Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, C Major, the Great, a work written for the Vienna Philharmonic. Encapsulating a history that is over 160 years old in the capital city of music, the Vienna Philharmonic is considered Austria’s most highly coveted "cultural export" among some of the most pre-eminent musicians and uniquely gifted composers of Europe over the past centuries, such as Hans Richter, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Mehta was honored with the Kennedy Center Award in 2006 for his lifetime of artistry and devotion to music.
"Mehta conducted it all as if it were an immortal masterpiece, and sometimes you could believe it was." —Los Angeles Times
"[Lang Lang is]…the hottest artist on the classical music planet." —New York Times
Each concert for the Great Orchestra series will be followed by a free postlude performance on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ.
MASTER MUSICIANS RECITAL SERIES
The fine art of giving a recital provides the ultimate showcase of an artist’s technical and expressive skills, and it gives an audience the most intimate of performance experiences. This year’s Master Musicians Recital Series brings world-renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman to Philadelphia, as well as pianist Daniel Barenboim, violinist Hilary Hahn, and pianist Krystian Zimerman for four evenings of virtuosic music making.
Treasured by audiences around the world, beloved violinist Itzhak Perlman will perform in Verizon Hall on Sunday, November 2, 2008. The world’s greatest living violinist, Perlman’s career began with initial training at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, followed by studies at the Juilliard School. He has been honored with four Emmy Awards, including the recent PBS documentary, Fiddling for the Future, a film about his work as a teacher and conductor for the Perlman Music Program. Perlman will be joined on stage by pianist Rohan da Silva, his frequent collaborator for many years. Perlman performed at the Kimmel Center’s opening night in 2001 and has since returned for three recitals in our eight seasons.
"And once again, the trademark qualities of his playing were there for all to hear: the opulent sound, the silken tone, the supple bow arm, the effortless technique." —New York Times
One of the most versatile pianists of his generation, Daniel Barenboim will perform an All-Liszt program in Verizon Hall on Monday, December 8, 2008. The program will feature not only Liszt’s "Années de Pélerinage, Deuxiéme Année; Italie," but also his paraphrases on the operas of Verdi, including Aida, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore. The Buenos Aires native of Jewish-Russian descent made his debut as a pianist in Vienna and Rome in 1952, later working closely over the many years with three German orchestras – the Berlin Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Berlin, for which he was named "Chief Conductor for Life" in 2000, and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. More recently, he was named Maestro Scaligero at La Scala, Milan, where he performed Verdi’s Requiem in November 2007 and will undertake a Wagner Ring cycle in the 2010-11 season. In February 2003, Mr. Barenboim won a Grammy® for his recording of Wagner Tannhäuser.
"Barenboim is one of the finest pianists before the public today…" —Chicago Sun-Times
Grammy® award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn will be performing in Verizon Hall on Tuesday, March 4, 2009. Her program will include Eugene Ysaÿe’s sonatas for solo violin and piano, nos. 1, 2 and 4; as well as Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and Joachim’s arrangements of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances for violin and piano. Hahn studied from the ages of 10 to 17 at The Curtis Institute of Music with the legendary Jascha Brodsky. Since then, she has performed with the world’s leading orchestras and given recitals throughout Europe, Asia and North America. In April 2007, she was a featured soloist in Pope Benedict XVI’s 80th birthday celebration at the Vatican, which was recently released on DVD. Her innovative interpretations, thoughtful musicianship, and ability to convey emotional sophistication at the age of 27 years old continues to captivate audiences in recitals and concerts around the world. In 2004, she was the violin soloist on the Oscar-nominated soundtrack to M. Night Shyamalan’s film, "The Village." Hahn will be joined on stage for her recital by pianist Valentina Lisitsa, making her Kimmel Center Presents debut.
"…[Hahn is] a thoroughly outstanding musician, one of the best we have… Miss Hahn has talent, plus a keen musical mind." —New York Sun
Hailed by the BBC as a "truly remarkable pianist," Krystian Zimerman will perform in Verizon Hall on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. Trained by Andrzej Jasínski, a senior lecturer at the music conservatory in Katowice, Poland, Mr. Zimerman’s career was launched in 1975 upon winning the Frédéric Chopin Piano competition in Warsaw. Best known for his interpretations of Romantic music, he has paved the way for performances in concert halls worldwide. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia and America, and his technical proficiency continues to dazzle audiences. He has collaborated with Deutsche Grammophon for more than 25 years, having released more than two dozen recordings, including critically acclaimed Rachmaninoff Concertos with the Boston Symphony. His most recent release features Mr. Zimerman’s recording of Brahms’ First Piano Concerto with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Mr. Zimerman captures both the youthful sweep and the mature intricacy in a riveting performance." —New York Times
THE FRED J. COOPER MEMORIAL ORGAN RECITAL SERIES
The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ debuted in Verizon Hall in May 2006 with a two- week festival of concerts to sold-out audiences and much critical acclaim. The Wall Street Journal has said of the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ: "…the 32-ton, $6.4 million instrument, heard last week in the opening concerts of a two-week inaugural festival that continues this weekend, is a versatile 6,938-pipe beast with a wide tonal palette and enough heft to compete with a symphony orchestra at full throttle."
The third season of organ recitals will be highlighted by Vincent Dubois, Jane Parker-Smith and James David Christie.
The Kimmel Center Presents Organ Recital Series begins with a performance by organist Vincent Dubois on Saturday, October 25, 2008. Dubois is one of many young concert organists appearing on the world stage in a resurgence of interest in the King of Instruments. His program will feature the music of Bach, Franck, and Duruflé, as well as his improvisations on a theme presented to him during the recital. A graduate of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris, he earned First Prizes in Organ, Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue and 20th century composition. Dubois is a protégé of organist Olivier Latry who inaugurated the Kimmel Center organ in 2006. Dubois began touring throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Pacific after he won the Gold Medal at the 2002 Calgary International Organ Competition and the Grand Prize at the 2002 International Competition of Toulouse, France.
"Fluency and freedom characterize Dubois’ playing in everything he played. The applause was loud and long." —Calgary Herald
One of the world’s leading concert organists, Jane Parker-Smith will perform in Verizon Hall on Saturday, March 7, 2009. Parker-Smith studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where she won numerous prizes and scholarships, such as the Walford Davies Prize for organ performance. After completing further studies in Paris with legendary blind organist Jean Langlais, Parker-Smith developed a deep understanding of 20th century French organ music, for which she has become internationally renowned. In 2007, Parker-Smith was a featured artist for the American Guild of Organists Region II Convention in New York City and the AGO Region V Convention in Columbus, Ohio.
"…She demonstrated that the venerable king of instruments can also function as an effective showcase for an organist with dazzling theatrical flair."—Cleveland Plain Dealer
Internationally acclaimed as one of the finest organists of his generation, James David Christie will perform in Verizon Hall on Saturday, May 2, 2009. Christie has titled the program for his recital "Splendors of the Baroque and French Fireworks," featuring music of Louis Marchanel, J.S. Bach, Jean Langlais, Albert Alain and Alexandre Guilmant. He has performed with symphony orchestras, period instrument ensembles, as well as in solo recitals around the world. Mr. Christie has served as organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and also is the music director of Ensemble Abendmusik, a Boston-based period instrument orchestra and chorus that specializes in sacred music of the 17th and 18th centuries. He also has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the New England School of Law, as well as a recent Outstanding Alumni Award from the New England Conservatory for his outstanding contributions to musical life of Boston.
"Shouts of ‘Bravo’ and sustained applause from the overflow of audience."—The Diapason
Each concert will be preceded by an "Artist Chat" featuring Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s "Pipedreams," and will be recorded for broadcast on WRTI-FM. All three recitals will also feature video screens for up-close-and-personal points of view of the organists.
KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS® WITH JEFFREY SIEGEL
With his fourth season of Keyboard Conversations®, Jeffrey Siegel returns to the Kimmel Center 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. He has 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, October 20, 2008 with a program titled Basking in Beethoven, featuring the vibrant, virtuoso Variations in C Minor, the humorous Bagatelles, and the "Farewell Sonata," Opus 81a.
The second in the series takes place on Monday, February 2, 2009 and is titled Longevity of the Short Piece featuring bite-size musical jewels and gems—masterpieces in miniature form, such as Grieg’s Lyric Pieces, Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Schubert Impromptus, and Brahms's Rhapsodies.
The series concludes on Monday, April 13, 2009 with a program called Musical Pictures. This program features the inspiring sights in glorious sound. The sonic splendor of Rachmaninoff’s Etudes Tableux, the delicate tone painting of Debussy’s Preludes, and the astonishing gallery of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.
FRESH INK SERIES
The Kimmel Center’s Fresh Ink Series continues in Perelman Theater this season with a fresh, eclectic batch of talented performers who present new and unusual repertoire and usher in a spirit of adventure. Audiences of the Fresh Ink Series experience some of the most dynamic, virtuosic performers and ensembles on the world stage today, including Imani Winds, featuring the World Premiere of a Kimmel Center co-commissioned work; Bang on a Can All-Stars with special guest Glenn Kotche from Wilco, and Alarm Will Sound.
Grammy®-nominated Imani Winds makes its Kimmel Center Presents debut on Friday, October 24, 2008. Celebrating their 10th anniversary season, Imani Winds continues to expand the wind quintet repertoire with influences from African and Afro-Cuban traditions, Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, jazz and mixed media. Kimmel Center Presents will be the lead commissioner for a new piece by composer Jason Moran to help them celebrate this milestone. Also on the program will be music by Valerie Coleman, Jeff Scott and Paquito D’Rivera. Imani Winds’ major label debut, The Classical Underground on Koch Entertainment, was released in January 2005 and nominated for a Grammy® in 2006. The quintet was also a 2007 ASCAP Concert Awards Honoree for innovative programming and successful career in concert music.
Bang on a Can All-Stars returns for the first time since their Kimmel Center debut in 2005, with special guest Glenn Kotche from Wilco in Perelman Theater on Saturday, February 28, 2009. Kotche, drummer for the band Wilco, is writing a new composition for Bang on a Can and also is arranging his work Mobile Parts 1 and 2 for the group. Kotche’s appearance with Bang on a Can will be his debut at the Kimmel Center. Also on the program will be two Philadelphia premieres by two Bang on a Can founders: Sunray by David Lang, and Big Beautiful Dark and Scary by Julia Wolfe. The San Francisco Chronicle has called Bang on a Can "the country’s most important vehicle for contemporary music." An eclectic mix of classical ensemble, rock band and jazz sextet, Bang on a Can has grown from a one-day festival to a multifaceted organization providing young composers and performers the opportunity for cross-disciplinary collaborations and projects with DJs, visual artists, choreographers, filmmakers and more. Bang on a Can All-Stars tour major festivals and concert venues around the world to perform today’s most innovative music.
The 20-member band Alarm Will Sound performs in Perelman Theater on Saturday, April 25, 2009 in its Philadelphia debut. Former Musical Artists-in-Residence at Dickinson College, the band performs demanding, energetic music, described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by The London Financial Times and "the future of classical music" by The New York Times. The band’s versatile styles and wide-ranging repertoire span European and American works from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced. Following this plan, the program will include Luciano Berio’s "O King," arranged by Payton MacDonald, John Adams’ "Son of Chamber Symphony," David Lang’s "Increase," Aphex Twin’s "Cock/ver.10," music by Wolfgang Rihm and Stefan Freund, and Matt Mark’s arrangements of the Beatles "Revolution No. 9." The group has developed close relationships with contemporary composers such as Steve Reich and David Lang. Their latest release, Acoustica (2005), features arrangements of original electronic tracks with experimental approaches.
Each of the concerts in 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 Tom Warner, during which performers speak about their music making as well as take questions from the audience.
JAZZ AT THE KIMMEL CENTER
Philadelphia holds a rich history of jazz culture like many U.S. cities which became major jazz hubs. 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 Jazz Series continues to celebrate and contribute to Philadelphia’s rich cultural traditions by presenting both jazz artists from Philadelphia as well as those who land on the world’s stages.
JAZZ FRIDAYS
Opening the season are Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock on Friday, September 19, 2008. Three pivotal proponents of the jazz standard movement return to the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall for their highly anticipated 25th Anniversary Tour. Master jazz pianist and Allentown, Pa. native Keith Jarrett first began playing with bassist Jack DeJohnette in 1966 as members of the Charles Lloyd Quartet, followed by a one-year stint with Miles Davis in 1970; the trio officially formed in 1970 with bassist Gary Peacock. In January 2008, the trio re-released recordings of original works from 1983 performed in New York on a special 3-CD box set. The trio’s masterful improvisational skills have turned the spotlight on The Great American Songbook, and they have been nominated for many international awards, including five Grammy® nominations, as well as dozens of "Record of the Year" and Critics Prize awards from the United States, European and Japanese music press.
Sultry chanteuse Cassandra Wilson performs at the Kimmel Center with the Brian Blade Fellowship on Friday, November 7, 2008 with a performance of original tunes and pop tunes done with her own unmistakable vocal range. Known for her honey-dipped earthy vocal prowess, Wilson’s seventh release with Blue Note records includes critically acclaimed "Thunderbird", which has enjoyed crossover appeal internationally for her savvy blues style. Wilson will be joined by the Brian Blade Fellowship, led by drummer-composer Brian Blade, a mainstay in the legendary Wayne Shorter Quartet who has been hailed by The New York Times as "one of jazz’s best young drummers." The band’s jaw-dropping performance in Danilo Pérez’s 2006/07 series at the Kimmel demanded another Philadelphia engagement.
The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra will perform under the musical direction of internationally esteemed trumpeter-composer Wynton Marsalis in Verizon Hall on Friday, March 20, 2009. The official "house band" for Jazz at Lincoln Center activities, the Orchestra includes 15 of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players performing a repertoire of historic compositions and newly-commissioned works for big band. The orchestra specializes in the music of Duke Ellington, and its annual presentation of Ellington’s music at Lincoln Center has become a cultural highlight of New York City.
Blue Note Records celebrates with a 70th Anniversary Tour in Verizon Hall on Friday, April 3, 2009 featuring pianist Bill Charlap, saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Steve Wilson, Philly-based guitarist Pat Martino, drummer Lewis Nash, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, and bassist Peter Washington. The premiere label in the history of jazz, Blue Note Records was formed in 1939, and over the course of the next 30 years recorded the works of the greatest artists in jazz –Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock and many others. The all-star band celebrates Blue Note’s legacy and is currently collaborating on a CD recording scheduled for Spring 2008 release and a world tour in 2009.
Conga Kings share the stage with Tiempo Libre in Verizon Hall on Friday, May 8, 2009. Conga Kings consists of Giovanni Hidalgo, Candido Camero, and Francisco Aquabella, three singularly crowned congueros who have made immeasurable contributions to Afro-Cuban folk music, American jazz, and Latin percussion technique as a whole. Two-time Grammy®-winning Tiempo Libre shares the stage with Conga Kings. The Havana-bred/Miami-based timba ensemble’s most recent CD, What You’ve Been Waiting For/ Lo Que Esperabas has received much critical acclaim.
JAZZ UP CLOSE
The Jazz Up Close Series strives to give audiences a Jazz Up Close and intimate look at America’s music and has featured established as well as up-and-coming artists from around the world and across the country. Panamanian jazz pianist and member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Danilo Pérez has been the artistic advisor of the series since 2002 and has molded the program choices through the years to highlight legendary jazz artists who have left their indelible mark – from the music of Dizzy and Coltrane, to Von Freeman and Ellis Marsalis. This year’s Jazz Up Close celebrates the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ album Kind of Blue, with five concerts paying tribute to the top-selling jazz album of all time and the men who made it legendary. Each concert will focus on an instrument of that famous session in 1958.
The Jazz Up Close series kicks off by honoring the legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb in Perelman Theater on Saturday, November 1, 2008. The lone surviving member of the sessions, Jimmy Cobb will reveal the roots of his remarkable contribution to the rhythm section heard on Kind of Blue. Jimmy Cobb was the elder statesman of all the Miles Davis bands, his inspirational work appeared on the masterpiece, Kind of Blue, as well as heard in Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince Will Come, Porgy and Bess, among many other landmark Miles Davis recordings.
Second in the series is a night honoring pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly featuring the Fred Hersch Trio on Saturday, December 6, 2008. While Bill Evans’ illustrious style contributed to the undeniable modal ambiance heard on Kind of Blue, Wynton Kelly’s style is heard supplying a joyful swing on the second track, "Freddie Freeloader." Considered one of the most prolific jazz pianists of his generation, Hersch will lead his trio as they translate the simplistic modal qualities of this seminal album. Grammy®-nominated Fred Hersch, has been described by The New Yorker as "a poet of a pianist" and by The New York Times as "a master who plays it his way."
The series continues with Philadelphia’s own Randy Brecker honoring trumpeter Miles Davis on Saturday, February 7, 2009. One half of the legendary Brecker Brothers, Randy Brecker boldly goes where no others dared with his trumpet. Like Miles Davis with Bitches Brew, Brecker produces work that paves the way to a new destination—now known as jazz fusion. His Grammy® award-winning recordings span more than three decades and include his organic meld of intellect and soul. The Los Angeles Times has said of Randy Brecker, "His crisp, clean trumpet sound and decidedly melodic approach combined to offer an entirely delightful musical expression that could serve as a beacon for contemporary jazz."
The fourth concert in this series moves on to saxophonists Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane, who will be honored by Bobby Watson on Saturday, March 28, 2009. Saxophonist and composer Watson pays homage to two of the most celebrated saxophonists ever known to jazz. A first-call musician for nearly three decades, Watson has served as Music Director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers as well as leader of Horizons, now considered one of the preeminent small groups of the mid-1980s and mid-1990s.
The Jazz Up Close series concludes with John Patitucci and Rufus Reid honoring bassist Paul Chambers on Saturday, May 9, 2009. Bassists John Patitucci of the legendary Wayne Shorter Quartet and Rufus Reid recreate the recognizable sounds of bassist Paul Chambers, who delivered perfect timing, spot-on intonation, and virtuosic improvisational skill to the rhythm section heard on Kind of Blue, most notably on the album’s first cut, "So What." Series Artistic Advisor Danilo Pérez joins the bass men for a night that you’ll only hear live at the Kimmel Center.
Each of the five concerts in the 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 own Kind of Blue thoughts, memories and riffs.
WORLD & POP SERIES
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 best and most engaging artists in world and pop perform with more shows still to be added.
The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra will arrive in late summer to perform "Make Mine Bernstein" on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Conductor Keith Lockhart returns to the Kimmel Center to lead the legendary orchestra through an All-Bernstein program that celebrates one of the greatest American composer/conductors of the 20th century. The program will include selections from the ballet Fancy Free and the film score "On the Waterfront," as well as John Williams’ tribute "For Lenny." An ensemble cast featuring America’s talented rising stars will sing selections from his Broadway musicals On the Town, Wonderful Town and West Side Story.
John Sebastian shares the stage with David Grisman on Thursday, October 9, 2008. Founder of the group The Lovin’ Spoonful, Sebastian played a major role in the mid-60’s rock revolution and has become a permanent fixture in the American musical fabric with his blend of blues, country, folk, and jug band "root music" in hits like "Do You Believe in Magic?" and the chart-topping solo record "Welcome Back Kotter," theme song of the hit show. Brilliant mandolinist David Grisman will join Sebastian on stage to perform his own brand of "dawg music," a hybridization of bluegrass, folk and jazz influences. The performance also will include works from their recent collaboration, the 2007 release Satisfied, a collection of acoustic duets from these two longtime friends. Grisman has collaborated with, among others, jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, and the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Leader, singer and songwriter Sebastian became inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Legendary sitarist-composer Ravi Shankar returns to the Kimmel Center for a special performance with his daughter Anoushka Shankar on Sunday, October 19, 2008. India’s most esteemed musical ambassador, Ravi Shankar has crossed all cultural and musical boundaries, disseminating India’s rich classical music tradition to the West. Named "Godfather of World Music" by George Harrison and "Global Ambassador" by the World Economic Forum, Shankar has written numerous works for Western collaborations, commissioned and premiered by the great orchestras of the world. Anoushka Shankar, musically trained by her own father, has matured into a masterful sitarist who has found her own voice and elevated sitar music to new levels with acoustic and electric instrumentation.
"Most people are musicians simply because they play a certain instrument; when they play that instrument, the music appears. But Ravi—to me, he is the music; it just happens to be that he plays the sitar. And it’s like that with Anoushka. She has that quality—she is the music."—George Harrison
Mandolin player Chris Thile shares the stage with bassist Edgar Meyer for a performance of inventive bluegrass, classical and jazz fused music on Wednesday, October 22, 2008. One of the most inventive musicians of his generation, Chris Thile has changed mandolin from a folksy, bluegrass instrument to include jazz improvisation and classical performances. Thile performed for more than 15 years in the popular band Nickel Creek, Grammy® award winners for the album This Side in 2002. MacArthur Award-winner Edgar Meyer has been recognized by critics and audiences as an innovative composer and vibrant performer. Meyer was Grammy® nominated in the category of Best Classical Crossover album in 1999 for Short Trip Home, a collaborative project with classical violinist Joshua Bell, legendary bluegrass musicians Sam Bush and Mike Marshall. He also served as the foundation for the CD Appalachia Journey with Yo-Yo Ma and Mark O’Connor.
"…the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively unchronicled history of the instrument"—New Yorker about Edgar Meyer
Mexico’s colorful folk traditions come to life with the Kimmel Center debut performance of Sol y Canto presenting the program "Noche De Muertos" on Saturday, October 25, 2008. Hailed by The Boston Globe as "sublime ambassadors of Pan-Latin tradition," the ensemble has enchanted audiences nationwide with the Day of the Dead Celebration. Led by influential Puerto Rican/Argentine vocalist Rosi Amador and award-winning guitarist-composer Brian Amador of New Mexico, audiences experience one of Mexico’s holiday traditions.
Buenos Aires’ world-famous Estampas Porteñas perform a fiery Argentine tango show, Tango Fire, on Saturday, November 1, 2008. Ten dancers and a quartet of talented musicians fill the stage with infectious ballroom rhythms, stylish vocals and fancy footwork that offer audiences a journey through the history of Tango from the brothels of Buenos Aires’ red light district to the ballroom dance form it is today, set to the music of Astor Piazzolla, among others. Passionate and lighthearted, seductive and irresistible, these dancers glide on the stage theatrically portraying this cultural expression of love.
"…a sizzling, sensual taste of the real thing…sexual electricity crackling at the arch of an eyebrow, exploding at the twitch of a hip…." —The Evening Standard
Soweto Gospel Choir returns to Philadelphia for an inspirational concert to usher in the holiday season on Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Featuring 26 majestic voices of South Africa, the vocal ensemble has performed inspirational programs of tribal, traditional and popular African and international gospel songs. The choir experienced global success while garnering a Grammy® award for their second album, Blessed. Most recently, Soweto Gospel Choir received a Grammy® award in the Best Traditional World Music Album for their 2007 release, African Spirit.
"The South African choir successfully coordinates intricate harmonies with hand claps, tambourines, djembe drums, and soulful singing, which beckon all to reclaim their spirit."—Vibe Magazine
Led by one of the premiere banjo players in the world, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones perform on Wednesday, December 16, 2008. The Flecktones formed in 1989 to release their self-titled debut recording in 1990, which became the beginning of many performances of critically acclaimed and award-winning "blu-bop" jazz and bluegrass music. Fleck’s first ever holiday CD is to be released just prior to this concert. Fleck is the only musician to be Grammy®-nominated in jazz, bluegrass, pop, country, spoken word, Christian, composition and world music categories—a nod toward the band’s versatility and prodigious nature.
"Heavyweight players who make an endearing fusion, the Flecktones have a fine time roaming all over the musical map…it’s hard to resist a band that draws on bluegrass, funk, world music, pop and jazz with such glee and blissful lack of pretension." —Entertainment Weekly
Philadelphia’s legendary radio personality Jerry Blavat, "The Geator with the Heater," explores the Roots of Rock and Roll with devout Philly fans with winter and spring performances on Sunday, January 18, 2009 and Sunday, May 3, 2009. Special guests will croon R&B oldies and hits of the doo-wop era. Ticket buyers are invited to come early and stay late for the Geator’s Dance Parties in the Commonwealth Plaza.
Internationally acclaimed virtuoso oud player and violinist Simon Shaheen returns to the Kimmel Center on Sunday, February 1, 2009. One of the most significant Arab musicians, performers and composers of his generation, Shaheen explores new frontiers of traditional Arabic music with a fusion of jazz and Western classical styles. His unique contribution to the world of arts has been honored with the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House; his music is featured on soundtracks to notable movies such as "The Sheltering Sky" and "Malcolm X."
Cape Breton Island fiddler Natalie MacMaster presents a performance of Celtic music with the David Bromberg Band featuring Angel Band on Saturday, February 7, 2009. MacMaster’s renowned musicianship has translated traditional and contemporary Celtic melodies to the masses; her performances emit fiddling fireworks with foot-tapping rave-ups, heart-rending ballads and world-class step dancing. Philadelphia-born David Bromberg has electrified audiences with his eclectic guitar playing on stage, unifying bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and rock sounds. He has collaborated with Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan, and co-wrote the song "The Holdup" with former Beatle George Harrison.
"MacMaster’s a ball of fire, performing jigs and reels with unstoppable, foot-tapping energy and ballads with irresistible, keening passion."—Los Angeles Times
Portuguese fado star Mariza performs with special guest Ivan Lins on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Voted in Portugal as Personality of the Year in 2003, Mariza’s talents are widely recognized for spreading the singular artistic expression of Portuguese culture, the fado—a form of poetic, sorrowful folk music distinct to centuries-old traditions. Mariza’s latest album, Transparente, shot to number one in her native country and conquered top 10 charts in other countries. Brazilian songwriter and pianist Ivan Lins will join Mariza on stage. His compositions have consistently been recorded by the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Sergio Mendes and countless others.
"…stunning performance…fully in command of a rich array of vocal timbres and a subtle sense of timing."—Los Angeles Times about Mariza
Irish ambassadors to the world, The Chieftains return to the Kimmel Center for their annual celebration of St. Patty’s Day, when traditional Irish music and step dancing take center stage on Sunday, March 15, 2009. The six-time Grammy® award-winning 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.
The KODO Drummers unearth the treasures of the Japanese drum, taiko, with a Verizon Hall performance on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The 14-piece ensemble has captured and taken the universal spirit and energy of Japanese taiko to the world since the early 1970’s. Traveling the world, KODO drummers translate the elements of the earth, rhythms and sounds learned from local people throughout Japan for centuries into a blended performance that showcases the relationship of people to art and nature.
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 perform a fall and spring weekend of concerts in Perelman Theater. For nearly four decades, the contemporary dance troupe has provided dynamic dance works varying from legendary choreographers such as Talley Beatty and Gene Hill Sogan to the premieres of new works that expose audiences to fresh works of up-and-coming talent.
Philadanco begins the season’s dance series with "Dazzling and Dynamite Dancing, Dances you love…" on October 16-19, 2008, setting the stage with a medley of dance favorites celebrated through the years. The program includes Philly-bred choreographer Rennie Harris’ The Philadelphia Experiment; followed by former Alvin Ailey member and choreographer Christopher Huggins’ Enemy behind the Gates set to Steve Reich’s spellbinding score. Also featured will be company favorites Ronald K. Brown’s No More Exotica, and Talley Beatty’s Pretty is Skin Deep, Ugly to the Bone.
Philadanco’s spring residency, April 28-May 2, 2009 will break new ground with four world premieres. New horizons abound with a program titled New Faces that brings to the fore progressive works of talented choreographers Camille Brown, Zane Booker, Hope Boykin, and Tony Powell. Praised for their "high-power energy" by The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, company founder Joan Myers Brown was 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
Internationally-acclaimed and Montreal-based La La La Human Steps debuts at the Kimmel Center with the U.S. East Coast premiere of Amjad on November 6-8, 2008. Édouard Lock, choreographer and founder, has taken inspiration from some of the most notable ballets of the Romantic period in particular Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Amjad, an evening length work, is composed in part of passages from these ballets, but deconstructed, reconstructed and adapted to current musical and choreographic worlds. The performance will feature nine dancers, masters of both classical ballet and contemporary dance techniques, and four musicians performing a new score by David Lang of Bang on a Can and Gavin Bryars. La La La Human Steps, founded in 1980, has developed a unique choreographic language reinvented over the course of 28 years. Representative of the exciting cutting edge artistic scene in Quebec, the company has rediscovered and reinvented the body and its dance with performances based on sound technical fundamentals that range from the hyperphysical to the lyrical. On stage, dynamic alterations of ballet structures intertwine with choreographed musical and cinematic strands that create a sense of perceptual distortion and renewal.
"World premiere La La La Human Steps’ new work is a triumph of style and substance, Masters of illusion fly through time….Choreographer Édouard Lock is an international darling because he gives audiences razzle-dazzle…The result is a refreshing homage to the past while relentlessly pointing to the future…It is as if he is saying that classical ballet does not have to be a museum and can be made to be relevant for today."—The Globe and Mail
Philly’s own internationally acclaimed Rennie Harris Puremovement returns to the Kimmel Center for a much anticipated performance on February 20-22, 2009. Master of innovation Rennie Harris will introduce Philadelphia to the world premiere of 100NakedLocks, a highly rhythmic piece that surveys how tomorrow’s hip hop may appear and how today’s cultural conflicts, natural distasters, and environmental changes may potentially lead to the erosion of human kind, creating a desolate world for the last 100 hip hop survivors. The North Philadelphia native is a hip-hop poet on stage who has experienced the transformative, positive energy of dance, often used as a vehicle to reflect distant cultures. Puremovement presents the voice of a new generation with modern dance that translates the inner-city language of acrobatic hip hop with African American traditions of the past. The dance group has performed to audiences across the globe, as well as three sold-out performances at the Kimmel in 2007, notably presenting the successful crossover dance theater production of Rome & Jewels that retells the Shakespearean tragedy. Rome and Jewels won a Bessie® Award for Best Choreography in 2001.
"Artist Chats" will be held following the first performance of each set of performances with dancers and choreographers from the evening, and Kimmel Center Presents Director of Programming Tom Warner.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Subscription packages for the Kimmel Center Presents 2008-09 season range in price from $52-$443, go on sale Thursday, March 6, 2008, 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 Broadway at the Academy, and more. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
Single tickets will go on sale in August, 2008.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORS
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2008/2009 Season is sponsored by Citi. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARCWheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System, American Express, and Interpark. 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 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 Cadillac Broadway Series of performances.
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