British Organ Invasion

Fred  J. Cooper Memorial Organ
in Verizon Hall
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Fans of vocal music and organ music alike were enthralled with the British Organ Invasion held in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on November 3. Alan Morrison wowed the audience with magnificent solos on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ. The Keystone State Boychoir comprised of 200 boys between the ages of 8 -18 performed next. A nine-member ensemble performed the first piece. With quick and quiet precision and just a nod from Steven M. Fisher, their conductor, the nine very young men separated themselves from their fellow choir members to move into their own formation in the forefront. As the piece ended, they reestablished themselves in the lineup to join the other high pitched voices in singing the next piece in unison. The third piece, The Lord is My Shepherd,  had the lower  voices join in a beautiful harmony, while their final selection entitled, Oliver Cromwell, was somewhat of a conversation with the organist; after Alan Morrison played a few bars, the boys rapidly responded in kind. Following the boys’ impressive performance, Alan Morrison played a somber then a joyous solo piece on the organ. With a large console strategically placed on the stage, not only was the organist able to see the conductor, but the audience also had an excellent view of Alan Morrison working his magic on the organ. The Mendelssohn Club, one of the oldest and most prestigious choral groups in the country, provided the pièce de resistance. This group of 150 men and women sent waves of undulating sound vibrating throughout Verizon Hall. Several pieces were accompanied, with great affect, by the organ, Others were sung a cappella. In one such piece, Paul Rardin, the conductor, miraculously became a human pitch pipe and hummed the starting pitch before the group began. Most of the music was intricate and the Mendelssohn Club performed with precision. A central part of the program, Rejoice in the Lamb, is music written by one of Britain’s favorites, Benjamin Bretton. It is a 16 minute cantata set to a poem written by Christopher Smart when he was in an insane asylum. As the text states,”All living things give Glory to God” and the voices of the Mendelssohn Club rose in glorious splendor. The program ended with both choirs joining the organ in a grand finale that was truly majestic. The British Organ Invasion was the first segment of a 4-part organ series at the Kimmel. Three innovative and collaborative programs with film and a brass ensemble remain. The concerts will be held on March 29, April 13 and May 20. Choose two or more performances and save 35%. For more information or tickets, call 215-893-1999 or visit online at www.kimmelcenter.org. 

Working

Bristol Riverside Theatre, located at 120 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, Pa., is presenting Tony Award-nominated Working, through November 20. Based on Stud Terkel’s best-selling book which was written after interviewing twenty-six American workers, Working is both down-to-earth and fantasy driven. An extremely talented ensemble cast of Demetria Joyce Bailey, Philip Chaffin, Laura Giknis, Tamar Green, Jenny Lee Stern and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton sing and dance their way through the life stories and aspirations of multiple people in the workplace, including a waitress, socialite,  a trucker and delivery boy. Under the direction of costume designer Linda Bee Stockton, cast members become entirely new characters with the slightest change by adding boots, changing a jacket, vest, or  top. Music and lyrics were written by six composers, adding to the mosaic intent of the piece. The projections designed by Andrew Deppen and John Hoey are phenomenal; the voices, both belting out solos and blending in rich harmonies are a feast for the ears; the quick costume changes are stunning in their simplicity; in short, everything about Working is working. For more information or tickets, call 215-785-0100 or visit online at brtstage.org. 

Delirium

Delirium, co-produced by EgoPo classic theater and Indiana University of Pennsylvania can be seen at EgoPo’s home, The Latvian Society Theater 531 North 7^th Street through November 13, 2016. A revisiting of The Brothers Karamazov, Delirium is aptly named with the restlessness and incoherence of the characters; the insecurity of the characters is shown in frequent stop-gap movements accompanied by loud noise, loosely interpreted as music. With the addition of puppets, the work has an air of the theatre of the absurd, most of which is in the style of tragicomedy.  It has been said that “nothing is funnier than unhappiness” and as the audience learns of the lives of the Karamazov brothers, this certainly rings true. Aloyosha, (Anthony Crosby) just out of the monastery can find no peace in his godly life; Ivan,(Johnny Smith) the intellectual, is given no respect for his brilliance, and Mitya,(Chris Anthony) the philandering rogue has reached a point of hysteria where even he can no longer tolerate the life he is living. We are given but a brief glimpse of this brilliant work of Dostoyevsky but are immediately spellbound by Enda Walsh’s interpretation of the piece. Loud, wild, raucous, and brash, this is a masterful introduction to EgoPo’s Russian Masters Festival. For more information or tickets, call 276-273-1414 or visit online at www.egopo.org. 

Shanghai Acrobats

SHANGHAI ACROBATS DEBUT

SHANGHAI NIGHTS IN VERIZON HALL

AT THE KIMMEL CENTER

FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

This remarkable spectacle is a sheer delight. The production begins and ends with a couple in magnificent costumes. Their love story is interwoven throughout the show. Over one hundred acrobats perform death-defying stunts that have the audience sitting on the edge of their seats. Gasps ring throughout Verizon Hall as performers tumble across the stage and through hoops four stories high. An intake of breath accompanies the juggler who starts with three balls and finishes his act juggling eight balls in the air, on the ground and behind his back. Just when the audience has settled in their seats and has decided that there can be nothing more breathtaking to be seen, another act appears that is more mind-boggling than all the others with fantastic underlying music and gorgeous costumes. The audience is cautioned to be quiet as an acrobat balances first on two chairs placed on a stand and finally on six chairs; the athletic team member balances himself upside-down on one hand and rotates his body. It is impossible for the audience to remain quiet.  This widely varied show with multi-talented award winning acrobats intersperses jaw-dropping athletic feats with stunning story-telling through costumed dance. The young man and princess who begin the show with dance and are separated repeatedly by pirates and other rogues are reunited to end this outstanding production. Other upcoming shows in the Family Discovery Series include: Odd Squad Live (November 25-26, Merriam Theater), Cirque Éloize: Saloon (January 13-14, Merriam Theater) and Elephant and Piggie: We Are in A Play! (January 21 Merriam Theater.)

Kimmel's Jazz Residency Artists

KIMMEL CENTER ANNOUNCES   JAZZ RESIDENCY

ARTISTS   FOR THE 2016-17 SEASON

NEW WORKS BY JAWANZA KOBIE, MAX SWAN, AND A COLLABORATION

BETWEEN JOANNA PASCALE & ETIENNE CHARLES

WILL PREMIERE IN MAY 2017

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2016-17 Season Jazz Residency Artists, individuals whose involvement in this prestigious program will result in World Premieres in May 2017 at the Kimmel Center’s SEI Innovation Studio. The Jazz Residency program is designed to take artists and audiences on a season-long journey to continue the long tradition of creating new jazz in Philadelphia. A five person panel of jazz experts, Todd Stoll, VP of Education at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City; Eric Gould, Chair of Jazz Composition, Berklee College of Music in Boston; Dr. Aaron Flagg, Chair & Associate Director of Julliard Jazz in New York City; Dr. Lesa Terry, musician and faculty member at California State University and Jay Wahl, Music Director of the Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, reviewed 29 project applications. The following experts have been selected: vocalist, composer and lyricist Joanna Pascale; composer Etienne Charles; saxophonist, vocalist and composer Max Swan; and composer and pianist Jawanza Kobie. Audience members will have an opportunity to observe the composition progress of these artists in free public workshops and work-in progress performances in the spring and their World Premieres in May 2017.

Teacher Appreciation Initiative

KIMMEL CENTER INTRODUCES NEW

TEACHER APPRECIATION INITIATIVE

FOR 2016-17 SEASON

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts – in partnership with The School District of Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers – has announced a new Teacher Appreciation program. In celebration of the city’s most inspiring teachers, the organization will give away 1,000 free tickets throughout the season and has instated a special discount for educators of up to 35% for select performances.  Principals can nominate inspiring teachers by sending an email to teachers@kimmelcenter.org and highlighting why the teachers are deserving. The following Kimmel resident companies are also participating in the program by offering free or discounted tickets: Opera Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis Institute of Music and PHILADANCO. For more information on the Teachers Appreciation Program and how to get involved, visit www.kimmelcenter.org/community-programas/teacher-appreciation/. 

Another upcoming opportunity for educators on the Kimmel Center Campus is the Arts Education Fair taking place November 16^th from 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. This free event, hosted by the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (Creative Philadelphia) and the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance will give educators the opportunity to network with representatives from the Kimmel Center Education Department and its resident companies as well as other local youth and school programs arts education opportunities. The event will feature prize packages, ticket giveaways and teaching demonstrations..To RSVP for the event or register a table,visit www.creativephl.org. 

Guards at the Taj

Anthony  Mustafa  Adair  &
Jenson Titus Lavallee

Theatre Exile, located in Studio X, 1340 S. 13^th Street, is presenting the Philadelphia premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Guards at the Taj through November 13. Set in Agra, India in 1648, two imperial guards, closer than brothers, stand watch at the gates of the grand Taj before it is to be revealed to the public. One has a staunch sense of duty; the other an equally strong belief in the wondrous beauty of the world. Guarding the natural beauty of the Taj Mahal should bring the two childhood friends even closer together, but the king’s decree that nothing as beautiful should ever be constructed again causes a rupture between them.  Joseph has created a thought-provoking piece in which one must decide how far it is possible to go before giving up your soul. For Humayun, (Anthony Mustafa Adair) a good guard follows orders; nothing else is tantamount.  For Barbur, (Jenson Titus Lavallee) following such orders has destroyed his inner peace and outer relationship with the world around him. Joseph takes this shocking drama one step further by testing the friendship between Humayun and Babar. As many are asked on a daily basis, “Where does loyalty lie and is there ever a point in which you put it to rest?” For more information or tickets, call (215) 218-4022 or visit online at theatreexile.org.