Materials in the History & Background section were first published in conjunction with events leading up to the opening of the Kimmel Center in December 2001.

Q. When did The Philadelphia Orchestra move into the Kimmel Center?
A. The Kimmel Center opened at the end of 2001 with a special Inaugural Weekend featuring events December14-16. The Orchestra's Gala Inaugural Concert took place on Saturday evening, December 15, with a program conducted by Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch. The concert featured the world premiere of a new piece written especially for the Orchestra and its new home by American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, plus works by Maurice Ravel and Ludwig van Beethoven. Following the inaugural festivities, The Philadelphia Orchestra took up permanent residence with its annual New Year's Eve concert on December 31. Orchestra subscription concerts at the Kimmel Center began on January 3, 2002.

Q. What facilities are included in the Kimmel Center?
A. The Kimmel Center is intended to serve as a regional performing arts center, providing modern performing space for a variety of arts groups from throughout the Greater Philadelphia area.The building has been designed to provide The Philadelphia Orchestra with a full-featured state-of-the-art home, including two major performance spaces, a dramatic and multi-tiered full-service public lobby, and extensive backstage support areas. The 2500-seat Verizon Hall was designed specifically for the orchestral sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra by acoustician Russell Johnson. It features adjustable reverberation chambers to enhance the hall's intimacy with a warm focussed sound. The smaller, 650-seat Perelman Theater was designed for chamber music performances by members of the Orchestra and visiting guest artists.Public areas outside the concert halls include a gourmet restaurant overlooking Broad Street, one-stop ticket services for all performances at Kimmel and the Academy of Music, refreshment bars, plenty of restrooms, coat check, a new gift shop, and a special Center for Music Education.Backstage areas at the Kimmel Center include guest artist dressing rooms, a studio for the Orchestra's Music Director, an off-stage lounge for Philadelphia Orchestra musicians, a special workroom and storage facilities for the Orchestra's extensive Music Library of scores, choral warm-up areas, and instrument storage lockers.

Q. How much is the Kimmel Center costing, and who is paying for it?
A. Construction of this landmark building will cost $165million, plus architectural fees, site acquisition and preparation, and start-up operations. The overall project is budgeted at $265 million, of which $85 million was raised by The Philadelphia Orchestra. All but the final $15 million or so has been pledged, with generous donations to the project including grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,the City of Philadelphia, William Penn Foundation, Sidney Kimmel, Verizon Foundation, and Ruth and Raymond Perelman.

Q. Who is the Kimmel Center named for?
A. The Center is named to honor businessman and philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, who has championed the building of a new home for The Philadelphia Orchestra for more than a decade. Mr. Kimmel has given $15 million toward the project, making him the most generous individual donor. He has served as a member of the Orchestra's Board of Directors since 1995.

Q. Who or what is the Regional Performing Arts Center?
A. The Regional Performing Arts Center Inc. is a non-profit corporation created to oversee construction of the Kimmel Center and to manage day-to-day operations of both the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music once the Orchestra has moved. RPAC Inc. was founded by the Orchestra and other civic leaders in 1996 as a community-wide organization to build a facility that could best serve the Orchestra's needs while also providing new opportunities for a broad cross-section of the Philadelphia region's performing arts groups. With the opening of the Orchestra's new home, the Kimmel Center and the historic Academy of Music will be operated as a single cultural facility. As a founding member of RPAC,The Philadelphia Orchestra will continue to own and be responsible for maintaining the Academy of Music, working with RPAC as landlord and collaborative catalyst within the performing arts community. A variety of Philadelphia's other performing arts groups will serve as Resident Companies of the two buildings, presenting their artistry each season alongside showcase performances by visiting guest artists and ensembles.

Q. Who is the architect for the Kimmel Center?
A. The project architect is Rafael Viñoly, who has designed a diverse body of internationally-acclaimed buildings - from Boston to Tokyo. As in his other projects, Viñoly has blended both form and function into his space plans and detailing for the Kimmel Center. He has also pioneered new engineering solutions to create dramatic and spacious areas in juxtaposition with more intimate and smaller-scaled settings. The Kimmel Center's barrel-vaulted glass roof is of an unprecedented design, and will become a signature landmark within the context of Philadelphia's Center City landscape.

Q. Will the Orchestra sound different in its new home?
A. Equally important as how the building looks is how music will sound inside. The acoustician for the Kimmel Center project is Russell Johnson, a Pennsylvania native and founder of Artec Consultants Inc. As one of the world's leading acousticians, Johnson has an unparalleled record of excellence in new concert hall design, assuring Philadelphia of a world-class hall worthy of the Orchestra for which it was created. Listening to The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center will be an exciting, enveloping experience. Orchestral textures will be more distinct and more powerful than at the Academy of Music, with Verizon Hall's state-of-the-art design allowing for louder fortissimos and softer pianissimos. Recent examples of Russell Johnson's work include highly-praised halls in Dallas, Texas; Birmingham, England;and Lucerne, Switzerland. For Philadelphia, Verizon Hall's2500-seat size is augmented with adjustable reverberation chambers located along its sides, coupling an intimate interior feeling with the desired acoustical warmth of a larger hall. Doors to the chambers also provide a built-in capability for fine-tuning the hall's final sound.

Q. How is seating different at the Kimmel Center from the Academy?
A. The seating layout at Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center has strong similarities and differences with the operahouse-style at the Academy of Music. Like the Academy, Verizon Hall is arranged with a main floor seating area surrounded by three tiers or balconies. However, each tier also circles around behind the stage, affording Philadelphia audiences new vantage points to observe the Orchestra's musicians and conductor in concert. All of the seating challenges from the Academy have been eliminated with the new hall - there's plenty of legroom, there are no poles or columns obstructing views, the seats themselves are bigger and more comfortable, and the hall is created on a more intimate scale (everyone will feel closer to the stage).

Q. How have seats been assigned to subscribers in the Kimmel Center?
A. We know that seat assignments in the Kimmel Center are very important to each and every one of our subscribers.Patron Service representatives spent hundreds of hours carefully selecting seat recommendations for all of the Orchestra's subscribers prior to mailing renewal order forms at the beginning of March 2001. Each subscriber has the option of accepting these personalized seating recommendations, or requesting a change in their Kimmel location. For renewing subscribers, seating location recommendations in the Kimmel Center are based upon current seating in the Academy of Music, history of contribution and support, and number of years as a subscriber. Recommendations for each subscriber were carefully chosen to match existing seat locations in the Academy with comparable seating at Kimmel. Each subscriber has the option of accepting the personalized seating recommendation sent to them, or requesting a change in their Kimmel location.Specific questions can be answered by calling the Patron Services Office (9 to 5 Monday thru Friday) at 215-893-1955.Please note that heavy call volume during the renewal period in March 2001 may cause a extended hold or wait period when calling the Patron Services Office.

Q: How will ticket prices be affected?
A: While symphonic concerts are expensive to produce at a world-class level, Philadelphia Orchestra concerts remain an exceptional entertainment value. Ticket revenues cover only about half of the total cost of each concert. We believe that the Orchestra's new home at the Kimmel Center represents an unprecedented experience for Philadelphians to hear the artistry of these musicians in an exciting state-of-the-art concert hall, complete with modern amenities and services. With the new hall comes a new set of ticket plans and prices. In order to create a concert hall with world-class acoustics (and to fully meet modern building codes for leg room and comfort), Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center will seat fewer patrons than the Academy of Music. Ticket revenue must nevertheless remain unchanged in order to ensure the stability of the Orchestra's fiscal operations. In general, for The Philadelphia Orchestra's subscription concerts at Kimmel in 2001-02, seats are priced some what higher than at the Academy, with the top ticket valued at $110(up from $94 currently). However, some prices will actually drop, such as the least expensive seat (currently $17), which will be just $10 next year (the least expensive regular season ticket offered by the Orchestra in the past decade). In addition, a $7 rush seats will be sold on a space available basis on the day of each concert.The Orchestra has worked with area newspapers to provide a general overview of pricing information and changes.Some readers have found the newspapers' stated average price increases to be confusing. Because of the many seating options within Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center,some Orchestra subscribers have renewed without any price increase whatsoever, while others have increased their ticket cost by 50% or more. Due to the interactive nature of the renewal process, coupled with with the difference in seating layout and capacity between Kimmel and the Academy, it is misleading to state simple average price increase. Subscribing to a series of6 or 9 concerts up front continues to be an excellent value.Subscriptions for the 2001-02 season are on sale now, with most seating sections featuring a 10% discount off individual ticket prices for the same concerts.Overall, seating at Kimmel will be more expensive for some patrons, but every seat is going to be more than merely comfortable - every seat will be a great seat from which to fully see and experience live orchestral music at its very best.

Q: What about the facility fee for each ticket?
A: A "facility fee" of $1 was instituted in 1989 on top of the ticket price for all events at the Academy of Music. This fee generated capital funds for construction of The Philadelphia Orchestra's new concert hall and for ongoing renovations of the Academy. A planned increase of the fee to $2 takes effect with the 2001-02 and applies to tickets valued at $10 or more for performances at both the Academy and the Kimmel Center.

Q: What about parking for the Kimmel Center?
A: We are monitoring a number of parking developments related to the Kimmel Center's opening, including a new 650-space enclosed garage planned for the corner of 15th and Spruce Streets. We'll be sending detailed parking information and maps to all subscribers in the fall, as we strive to make the move to the Orchestra's new home a welcoming and exciting experience for everyone. Because the Kimmel Center is located just a block from the Academy of Music, many Orchestra patrons will continue attending concerts as they have in the past - using favorite parking spots near the Academy or travelling into Center City by train or subway. There are, in fact, more than 3,900 public parking spaces within three blocks of the Kimmel Center and, although it can sometimes take a few minutes to park your car, Philadelphia remains one of the easiest big cities to drive into and park downtown.

Q. What happens to the Academy of Music after the Orchestra moves out?
A. The Academy of Music will continue to be owned by The Philadelphia Orchestra, but will be managed along with the Kimmel Center by the Regional Performing Arts Center Inc.The Academy will continue as the home of both the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Both companies expect to add performances to their seasons once the Orchestra has moved out. In addition, plans are being drawn up to modernize the Academy by spending $10million to outfit the stage with a state-of-the-art stage rigging system and fly space, allowing for increased scenic flexibility for opera, ballet, and visiting Broadway shows.

Q. Will other orchestras perform at the Kimmel Center?
A. Yes, on occasion The Philadelphia Orchestra will share its home with visiting orchestras from around the world. The Regional Performing Arts Center Inc. plans to showcase a handful of visiting orchestras each year. The line-up for the Kimmel Center's inaugural season has already been announced and features the symphony orchestras of Boston, New York, Amsterdam, and Israel - affording Philadelphia audiences the ability to compare their own world-renowned orchestra with a select group of other top ensembles. We want to keep you informed and up-to-date about the exciting future awaiting everyone with the opening of the Orchestra's new home at the Kimmel Center. Look for future information and details concerning upgraded patron amenities, new subscriber benefits, ticket service operations, and new learning initiatives, as well as the Orchestra's ongoing educational programming, chamber music presentations, and community partnerships.