Family Fundays at the Kimmel
Entertain your littlest art lovers at the Plaza! Ignite imaginations with an array of enchanting performances and hands-on activities.
Join Philadelphia’s own Spice Route Ensemble for an exciting, imaginative, cultural music journey featuring instruments like the Bouzouki, Doumbek, Lyra, Oud, Saz and Riq. We start right here in Philadelphia and will use our imaginations to travel 3000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea making stops along the way to listen, learn, play, sing music and dance together!
The Spice Route Ensemble is comprised of internationally acclaimed musicians of diverse Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean traditions working towards the common goal of producing excellent music. The Ensemble believes that this musical excellence serves as an example of multicultural cooperation. The featured musicians include, Bruce Kaminsky, Bill Koutsouros, and Michele Tayoun. The Spice Route offers Journey into Middle Eastern assembly and residency programs, as well as educator professional development sessions.
The first Spice Route performance was at the Francis Scott Key School in South Philadelphia on September 24, 2001, just 13 days after the devastating attack on the Twin Towers. This and other current events mantled the Spice Route Ensemble with the challenge of putting human faces to ethnic groups and cultures that many only know through the news. It also gave a familiar sound to students of Middle Eastern extraction who feared a level of isolation. The Spice Route Ensemble has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper and on National Public Radio. Their programs have been recommended by the University of Pennsylvania Center on Middle Eastern Studies and The Israeli Consulate.
Performance in partnership with Musicopia
