Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Coordinates: 39°56′48″N 75°09′56″W / 39.9467°N 75.1656°W / 39.9467; -75.1656
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

39°56′48″N 75°09′56″W / 39.9467°N 75.1656°W / 39.9467; -75.1656

The Kimmel Center
for the Performing Arts
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Map
AddressKimmel Cultural Campus
300 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102
United States
Public transit Walnut–Locust:
Construction
OpenedDecember 16, 2001
ArchitectRafael Viñoly Architects, PC
Website
www.kimmelculturalcampus.org

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large

Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Cultural Center, which also manages the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and, as of November 2016, the Miller Theater. The center is named after philanthropist Sidney Kimmel
.

The center is the home of the

Philadanco, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Kimmel Center Presents performance series, which features a variety of jazz, classical, and world pop performers.[1]

History

The interior of the Kimmel Center with Verizon Hall (middle) and the Perelman Theater (left) in September 2005
Interior of Verizon Hall during intermission of the Philadelphia Orchestra matinee concert in May 2015

In 1986, the Philadelphia Orchestra approved a plan to construct a new concert hall to replace the aging

Verizon and the Verizon Foundation.[4]

The architect of the center was Rafael Viñoly, and the acoustician was Artec Consultants. The Kimmel Center officially opened in an unfinished state on December 16, 2001.[5] This followed a gala preview on December 14 featuring performances by André Watts, Denyce Graves, Frederica von Stade and Sir Elton John and the Philadelphia Orchestra premiere at Verizon Hall on December 15.[6] Numerous cost overruns and construction delays led to the filing of a lawsuit in 2005 by officials of the Kimmel Center against Viñoly. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2006.[7]

Performance and other facilities

A distinctive vaulted glass ceiling encloses the entire structure providing a large common lobby for all the facilities. The center is a popular attraction, keeping its doors open to the public seven days a week. It hosts thousands of visitors annually and offers free tours of the facility regularly.

  • Verizon Hall, with 2,500 seats, is the main performance auditorium. It contains a pipe organ by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders, which is the largest mechanical action pipe organ in an American concert hall. The organ is Dobson's Opus 76 and is named for Fred J. Cooper. It has two consoles with four manuals, 97 ranks and 124 stops.[8]
  • Perelman Theater, with 650 seats, has a 75-foot (23 m)-diameter turntable stage that permits the space to be used as a recital hall or a proscenium theater with a stage, fly-loft and orchestra pit.
  • Dorrance H. Hamilton Roof Garden located above the Perelman Theater.
  • SEI Innovation Studio, a 2,688-square-foot (249.7 m2) black box theater located on the lower levels of the Kimmel Center.[9]
  • Smaller performance spaces and meeting rooms.[1]

Other noteworthy programs

The Kimmel Center offers a variety of other programs besides concerts, specifically in the field of education. The Kimmel Center is home to its own Youth Jazz Orchestra called The Kimmel Center Youth Jazz Ensemble (KCYJE). This Ensemble includes many youth jazz musicians in the Philadelphia/New Jersey Area. The Ensemble is recognized as a youth version of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.[citation needed]

Additionally, The Kimmel Center holds a Teen Summer Arts Camp annually where it offers ten-day programs in chamber music, choral/vocal music, and jazz.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Our Story". Kimmelcenter.org. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  2. ^ Hine, Thomas (30 November 1986). "Orchestra Hall: The Challenges Are Monumental". The Philadelphia Inquirer. philly.com. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  3. ^ Dobrin, Peter (9 December 2001). "A new hall, just 93 years in the making". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  4. ^ "Timeline". Kimmelcenter.org. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  5. ^ By (2001-12-16). "Philadelphia celebrates Kimmel Center's opening". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  6. ^ "The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Opens on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts". Kimmel Center. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  7. ^ Kelly II, Joseph Dennis (16 March 2006). "Viñoly and Kimmel Center Settle Discord". Architectural Record. archrecord.construction.com.
  8. ^ "The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ". Dobson Pipe Organ Builders. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
  9. ^ "SEI Innovation Studio Rentals – Kimmel Center Performance Venues". www.kimmelcenter.org. Retrieved 2018-02-05.

External links