| Our Mission | Our Vision | Our Values | History | Resident Companies |
Our Mission
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., shares the transformative power of the performing arts and arts education with the widest possible audience.
Our Vision
To inspire and connect humanity with exceptional performances and experiences serving Philadelphia and the world.
Our Values
- AUTHENTIC: We communicate openly and honestly and act with acceptance, integrity, and respect.
- COLLABORATIVE: We are conveners, bringing people, institutions, and ideas together.
- EXCEPTIONAL: We are committed to quality and innovation. We engage our audiences and communities with exceptional experiences.
- INCLUSIVE: We seek and value diverse perspectives, modeling equity and access in all we do. We pursue diversity on and off our stages.
Our values are based upon our fundamental principles of IDEAS, Accountability, and Fiscal Responsibility.
History
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts began to take shape in 1996 when two projects came together: The Philadelphia Orchestra's ongoing plan to build a new home for itself, and a plan of then-Mayor Edward G. Rendell to provide a much-needed venue for some of Philadelphia's most prominent performing arts companies and for touring presentations. With the generous consent of The Philadelphia Orchestra, which had acquired a property at Broad and Spruce Streets, the two plans were merged under the supervision and management of a new organization, the Regional Performing Arts Center (RPAC).
Today, the original dream has grown into a full Campus of buildings and represents 164 years of artistic inspiration along Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. The Kimmel Cultural Campus incorporates public amenities and operates three major venues:
- The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which is home to Verizon Hall (2,500-seat concert hall), Perelman Theater (650-seat recital theater), and SEI Innovation Studio – a 2,688 sq. foot black box theater,
- A renovated and upgraded Academy of Music (2,900 seats)
- And the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) (1,841 seats).
Our rich history spans over a century and a half, representing a generations-long commitment to presenting the transformative power of the arts to Philadelphians.
In Summer 2021, The Campus introduced a new alliance and formation of a parent company with The Philadelphia Orchestra. The two organizations join forces to present great performances and impactful education and community programs – charting a better shared future together – under the leadership of President & CEO Matías Tarnopolsky.
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc.
Together we’re creating a vibrant cultural future for Philadelphia.
On June 17, 2021, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center announced a pathbreaking partnership to create a brighter, more inclusive, innovative cultural future for Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc.
This new organization will reimagine the power of the arts to bring joy, create community, and effect change—to uplift all Philadelphians. We are uniting from a position of strength to bring the greatest performances and most impactful education and community programs, in person and digitally, to the diverse audiences of our city, and beyond.
Resident Companies
With the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall as the home to The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Kimmel Cultural Campus' facilities host six Resident Companies: Perelman Theater is home to PHILADANCO!, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music; and the Academy of Music is home to Opera Philadelphia and Philadelphia Ballet.