27016682
The first in a two-part series on live performances at cultural venues this summer.
Nothing can beat the wide variety of entertainment available in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts this summer. In the first of a two-part series, here are my picks — something for everyone. Enjoy!
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the historic Academy of Music are now operated together as a single cultural facility by the Kimmel Center, Inc. The performers the facilities host run the gamut.
In the pop/folk genre, fiddle virtuoso Mark O’Connor will make an encore appearance in the Perelman Theater with the Appalachia Waltz Trio on July 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $42.
You can even dance your feet to a happy beat at the Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza. The City Rhythm Orchestra will give dance lessons July 24, starting at 7 p.m. Then dance under the stars, all for $10.
Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab kicks off the world music celebration in the Perelman Theater with the best of Afro-beat music July 9. Yerba Buena, "one of the most exciting bands to hit the stagnant Latin dance music scene in years" (Vibe Magazine), takes over the Perelman stage on July 16. Guinea’s Bembeya Jazz sets yet another tone on July 30. Tickets, $22-$27.
The woman Rolling Stone called a "folk-rock powerhouse," Shawn Colvin, brings her unique, folk-inflected vocals and engaging lyrics to the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall July 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $47 and $57.
Try the Mozart Sampler! The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2003 Absolutely Mozart Festival features five evening performances and one afternoon matinee, from today through Wednesday, in Verizon Hall. The three programs feature a range of Mozart’s work, from intimate chamber music to symphonic masterpieces.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Broadway’s smash hit musical based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, is a musical extravaganza filled with technical wizardry, special effects and illusions, and dazzling production numbers. It visits the Academy of Music July 23-Aug. 3. Tickets, $27-$73. Information: 215-893-1955.
Celebrating its 27th season, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts is the region’s only outdoor cultural arts center offering a diverse season of world-class entertainment. Located at 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue in Fairmount Park, the modern pavilion seats 4,700 under cover, with lawn seating for 2,500 more. Information: 215-893-1999.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir celebrates the 75th anniversary of its Music and the Spoken Word program at the Mann, featuring the 360-member group accompanied by the choir’s own symphony orchestra. Last seen here in 1976, the concert repertoire will feature the choir’s latest CD, Spirit of America, a new collection of patriotic songs, July 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets, $38-$68.
Enjoy an afternoon of soul-stirring performances by the region’s hottest gospel groups, soloists and church choirs. Share a late lunch on the lawn as you’re surrounded by great gospel music, praise and celebration by Richard Smallwood and Vision Sunday at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann includes:
July 8: Opening night features Philadelphia’s own Andre Watts playing Beethoven’s majestic Emperor piano concerto, paired with the music of Russian masters: Shostakovich’s Festive Overture and selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. 8 p.m. Tickets, $18-$68.
July 10: All-Beethoven — Pianist Louis Lortie, praised for his fresh perspective and individuality, joins the Philadelphia Orchestra for a Beethoven piano concerto that concludes with the majestic Seventh Symphony. 8 p.m. Tickets, $18-$68.
July 14: Free Young People’s Concert — The Monkey King. Spectacular costumes, elaborate makeup, martial arts, dance and traditional Chinese music are used to dramatize Chinese legends. The show is a children’s favorite, with acrobatics, pantomime and exciting martial arts scenes. 11 a.m. Information: 215-546-7900.
July 21: Free Young People’s Concert — Caribbean Youth Steel Drum Orchestra.
Brooklyn’s finest youth orchestra presents island rhythms, top 40 and hip-hop. These kids, ages 8-19, have the beat, and are joined by Philadelphia’s own professional global drummers as they reveal the syncopated rhythmic traditions of West Africa, Afro-Cuba, Brazil and North India. 11 a.m. Information: 215-546-7900.
�
The Kimmel Center
Broad and Spruce streets
215-893-1999
www.kimmelcenter.org
The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
52nd Street and Parkside Avenue, Fairmount Park
215-893-1999
www.manncenter.org
