For a PDF version of this press release, click here.
Media Contacts:
Lauren (Woodard) Hall
Senior Manager of Public Relations, Kimmel Cultural Campus
(m) 484.832.1963
lhall@kimmelcenter.org
Ashley Berke
Vice President of Communications, The Philadelphia Orchestra
(m) 267.250.5148
aberke@philorch.org
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS AND THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCE DETAILS AND SCHEDULE FOR FREE SEPTEMBER 18 ARTS LAUNCH EVENT INCLUDING PROGRAM FOR FINALE CONCERT
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin to lead
The Philadelphia Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3
and Jessica Hunt’s Climb
FREE tickets available to public NOW
Over 50 performing arts groups from the region
to participate in reopening celebration
For Immediate Release: Philadelphia, PA (September 13, 2021) – The Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Philadelphia Orchestra are bringing in-person performing arts back to Broad Street with Arts Launch 2021, a day-long FREE festival-style event in partnership with more than 50 arts organizations across the region. New event details include an updated schedule for the day, repertoire and specifics for the finale concert, a one-day-only 20% off flash sale for in-person purchases, an historical marker dedication honoring former Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Leopold Stokowski, and more.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin will lead The Philadelphia Orchestra in a special performance for the event finale at 3 p.m. FREE tickets to the performance in Verizon Hall are available now at www.philorch.org.
The concert will include Jessica Hunt’s Climb, a piece commissioned by the Orchestra to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2020. The deeply personal piece draws inspiration from Beethoven’s personal struggles, relating them to Hunt’s own experience living with chronic illness. The concert will conclude with Beethoven’s groundbreaking Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica"), considered by many to be the greatest not just of Beethoven's symphonies, but of all time.
“There is nothing like performing for a live audience and feeling the immediate warmth and energy of our fans,” said Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “We invite friends old and new to join us in our home at the Kimmel Center for this exciting celebration, as we look forward to an especially vibrant season of the arts in Philadelphia. This concert offers a preview of the Orchestra’s bold, new season. We can’t wait to open our doors for this momentous reunion!”
Arts Launch 2021 will take place Saturday, September 18, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. inside the largest Kimmel Cultural Campus building – the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts at 300 S. Broad Street – where guests will enjoy activities, festival-style performances, demonstrations, and giveaways.
Masks are required to be worn at all times for this event and when on the Kimmel Cultural Campus, except when actively consuming food or beverage in designated locations. All attendees must show proof of full vaccination at the time of entry and should plan to arrive with a valid photo ID and vaccination card. Proof of negative COVID-19 tests will not be accepted, with the exception of children under the age of 12, who will be required to show a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of the event. Learn more about the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ Safe & Clean Commitment here.
A schedule of performances is here. For information related to participating cultural organizations, please review the list below, with additional information at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org.
New additions to Arts Launch 2021 include:
- Down the street in front of the Academy of Music, an historical marker honoring former Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra Leopold Stokowski will be revealed at 12 p.m.
- Guests are invited to take photos with the I “Heart” Philly sculpture, commissioned by the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) for Immigrant Heritage Month in June 2019, and formerly on display in Love Park. A partnership with the Kimmel Cultural Campus, The City of Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE), and the Avenue of the Arts, Inc., the sculpture will be temporarily installed in front of the Kimmel Center’s granite wall at 300 S. Broad Street through October 30, 2021. For additional information, click here.
- ONE-DAY-ONLY Flash Sale Announced – Guests receive 20% off select shows when purchasing tickets in-person at the Kimmel Center Box Office from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on September 18 only! Discount available on over 40 performances including Hamilton, Rent, Hairspray, Alton Brown, Rocky In Concert, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and many more!
Special thank you to Kimmel Cultural Campus Reopening Partner, PNC Arts Alive, for their continued support. For more information, please visit PNC Arts Alive, www.PNCARTSALIVE.com.
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Please see below for a full list of participating arts organizations and an updated schedule. The schedule is subject to change; an online schedule can be found at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org/artsLaunch2021
The schedule is as follows:
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Perelman Theater
Verizon Hall
Rendell Room (Tier 1)
Balcony Bar & Lounge (Tier 2)
- 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Glitter & Gold (temporary) tattoos
- 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Penn Museum: The Stories We Wear Lounge (Come share your stories. Exhibit preview activity)
- 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Garces Balcony Bar open with DJ Kevin Ngo from Dance Republic (Music outdoors)
Academy of Music
- 12:00 p.m. – Leopold Stokowski Historical Marker Dedication. More information here.
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Learn more about the Kimmel Cultural Campus’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses the mission, co-workers, and programs here.
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KIMMEL 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 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 the proud Kimmel Cultural Campus Season Sponsor. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, co-workers, and programs here.
PNC ARTS ALIVE
PNC Arts Alive is a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant initiative of the PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Now in its thirteenth program year, PNC Arts Alive challenges visual and performing arts organizations to put forth their best, most original thinking in expanding audience participation and engagement. For more information on PNC Arts Alive, visit www.PNCARTSALIVE.com.