For a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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Celebrate #mothersday2020 but #socialdistance-style. @KimmelCenter residency artists are writing original songs for 3 deserving moms.
Do you want your mom to have a digital singing telegram this year? Visit kimmelcenter.org to enter to win - now thru Sun, May 3
Press Contact:
Lauren Woodard
484-832-1963 (cell)
lwoodard@kimmelcenter.org
3 LUCKY MOMS WILL RECEIVE A GIFT TO CHERISH FOREVER
– THEIR STORY IN A SONG –
THIS MOTHER’S DAY!
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS CELEBRATES MOTHER’S DAY
SOCIAL DISTANCE-STYLE
WITH “KIMMEL’S MUSIC FOR MOM”
Public invited to submit their mom to win a personalized, one-of-a-kind
“Mom-inspired song” written and performed by Kimmel Residency artists and
delivered via video for Mother’s Day
Entries accepted via Facebook, Instagram, or email through May 3
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2020) –– The Kimmel Cultural Campus announces a Mother’s Day celebration – social distance-style in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Philadelphia is encouraged to share what makes their moms so special and three lucky moms will be selected to have a song written and recorded, just for them, by one of the talented artists from the Kimmel Center’s Artist Residency programs.
Introducing “Kimmel’s Music for Mom”. Tuesday, April 28 through Sunday, May 3, the public is invited to nominate mom (their mom or any mom they love) by submitting three reasons why she is a wonderful mother. These three reasons will be used as inspiration by the artists for the creation of an original song that will be delivered on Mother’s Day. The story is hers; the song is by the creative force behind the Kimmel’s Artist Residency programs. Entries are due no later than 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 3.
“Kimmel’s Music for Mom” artists include Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Jazz and/or Theater Residency artists – Dane Terry, multimedia storymaker, performer, and composer; critically-acclaimed cabarettist Molly Pope and orchestrator/arranger Matt Aument; and Ruth Naomi Floyd, vocalist and composer.
“COVID-19 may prevent us from gathering, yet it can’t stop the Kimmel Cultural Campus from bringing art and joyful experiences out into our community. We are strengthened by artistic experiences that show us how we connect and now, more than ever, we need the arts!” said Anne Ewers, President & CEO of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. “Moms – the perfect inspiration for the creation of music! We are proud to work with our Residency Artists on this project, giving them support at a time when their livelihoods are affected. We may be in the midst of an intermission, yet we are still here to bring our great city together – because together is our favorite place to be.”
Interested nominators are encouraged to enter through either Facebook (@KimmelCenter), Instagram (@KimmelCenter), or via email at MusicforMom@kimmelcenter.org.
• To submit via Facebook: Follow the Kimmel Cultural Campus @KimmelCenter and in the comment section of the Music for Mom post, post a photo with Mom’s name and three (3) reasons why the nominator believes she is a wonderful mother.
• To submit via Instagram: Post a photo of you and Mom and tag the Kimmel Cultural Campus @KimmelCenter. In the caption, post Mom’s name and three (3) reasons why the nominator believes she is a wonderful mother.
• To submit via email at MusicforMom@kimmelcenter.org: Send an email with Mom’s name and three (3) reasons why the nominator believes she is a wonderful mother.
Each artist will receive compensation from the Kimmel Center for these “digital singing telegrams”.
The Kimmel Center is a non-profit organization, and its annual Jazz and Theater Residencies are ongoing commitments to fostering local musicians, writers, thinkers, and more. 16 world premieres have resulted from the Jazz Residency, the culmination of a lengthy creative process involving public workshops, student teaching opportunities, and audience feedback, while 13 world premieres have resulted from the Theater Residency, a 2-week incubator bootcamp in partnership with joe’s Pub in New York City.
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2018-2019 Kimmel Center Cultural Campus Theater Residency Artist Dane Terry:
Dane Terry is a multi-media storymaker, performer and composer. He has made theater and music and music-theater for all sorts of rooms. He has been up to this for quite some time. He intends to stay up to it. Dane is the co-creator of the Music Fiction podcast Dreamboy which he wrote, composed and performed. Works for stage include: Jupiter's Lifeless Moons (PSNY 2018) and Bird In The House (La MaMa 2015, Under The Radar Festival (2016). Dane was the 2016 recipient of the Ethyl Eichelberger Award from PSNY. https://www.thedaneterry.com/
The New York Times says he has “embedded himself in a downtown scene that joyfully straddles the worlds of theater, pop music, performance art and cabaret.”
2016-2017 Kimmel Center Cultural Campus Theater Residency Artists Molly Pope and Matt Aument:
Molly Pope is a critically-acclaimed cabarettist whose shows have played Joe’s Pub, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Feinstein’s at the Regency, Ars Nova, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, OBERON (A.R.T.), and the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Australia. She is the recipient of both the 2016 Bistro Award for Creative Cabaret Artistry and the 2016 MAC Award for Musical Comedy. She has been named a Time Out New York “Top Ten Cabaret Act of 2008” and 2012 and a Village Voice Best of NYC 2011 for “Best Singer To Turn Life Into A Cabaret.” Most recently, she premiered a new show at The Kimmel Center in 2019, "Pope Mope", about coping with humanity, mental health, and keeping yourself company. https://www.mollypope.com/
Matt Aument is an orchestrator and arranger for live theatre. He's gotten to create charts for some truly incredible performers including: Victoria Clark, Kristin Chenoweth, and Nathan Lee Graham. Recent projects have included pieces by Sam Willmott, Dan Fishback, and Shaina Taub's Twelfth Night at the Delacorte in Central Park for the Public Theater. He teamed up with drag personality Martha Graham Cracker to create intimate micro-shows in Room 202 of the Washington Square Hotel. In cabaret, Matt has joined Molly Pope for shows at the Duplex and concocts arrangements for Seth Sikes' Judy and Liza tribute shows at 54 Below. http://www.mattaument.com/
2019-2020 Kimmel Center Cultural Campus Jazz Resident Ruth Naomi Floyd:
Ruth Naomi Floyd has been at the forefront of creating sacred jazz vocal settings in Philadelphia and beyond for over 25 years. As a vocalist and composer, Floyd has dedicated a discography explicitly dedicated to a jazz expression. She leads her own multi-faceted ensemble and her recordings consist primarily of original compositions. Blessed with a soaring soulful mezzo-soprano voice, critics praise Ruth’s music for its distinctive sound of progressive ensemble jazz that is seamlessly blended with messages of hope, faith, redemption, and love. https://frederickdouglassjazzworks.com/ruth/
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In addition to the Kimmel’s Music for Moms, the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus, along with Resident Company support, has created “The Show Must Go On”, an invitation to stay connected virtually. While staying inside and preventing the spread of COVID-19, followers can immerse themselves in performance highlights, artist interviews, educational learning opportunities, and more – all available online from the safe comfort of home. Followers can access this content via https://www.kimmelcenter.org/TheShowMustGoOn and on social media @KimmelCenter.
“The Show Must Go On” features 100% FREE, artistic content for any age – including content from every Kimmel Center Cultural Campus Resident Company (The Philadelphia Orchestra, Pennsylvania Ballet, PHILADANCO, The Philly POPS, Curtis Institute of Music, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society).
The public is invited to make sure #ArtHappensAtHome by creating and sharing their own art – singing, dancing, playing an instrument, rapping, reciting poetry, etc. – on social media and tagging the Kimmel Center. Additional content includes art from Philadelphia-based talent, educational resources, Spotify work-from-home playlists and zoom backgrounds, archival footage, concerts, livestreams, takeovers, and much more. The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus has seen extremely high traffic and engagement across this content – an indicator that the public is hungry for virtual events and entertainment.
For a wide range of “The Show Must Go On” content and to join in as #ArtHappensAtHome, the public is invited to connect with the Kimmel Center Cultural Campus on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Visit kimmelcenter.org to sign up and receive the weekly “Ovation” newsletter with updates, resources, and more.
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The Kimmel Center Cultural Campus
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region’s diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1 million guests per year and includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Academy of Music, and the Merriam Theater- representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. We are home to eight esteemed Resident Companies: The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philly POPS, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region’s most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially-responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region’s young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is our proud sponsor of the Kimmel Center’s 2019-2020 Season. American Airlines is the official airline of Broadway Philadelphia. For additional information, visit www.kimmelcenter.org.
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For photography, please visit www.kcpress.smugmug.com
For a PDF version of this press release, click here.