The
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large
performing arts venue located on
Broad Street, along the
stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Center,
Inc., an organization which also managed the Academy of
Music
in Philadelphia. The center is named after
philanthropist
Sidney Kimmel.
The architect of the Center was
Rafael Viñoly, and the acoustician was
Artec Consultants. The Kimmel
Center opened in an unfinished state on
December 16,
2001. 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.
The Center is the home of the
Philadelphia Orchestra, one of
America's "Big Five" symphony
orchestras and regarded as one of the best in the world.
Currently, the Principal Conductor is
Charles Dutoit.
Other resident performing arts organizations at the Kimmel Center
include the
Chamber
Orchestra of Philadelphia,
Philadanco
and the
Philadelphia
Chamber Music Society. It is also home to a performance series
known as "Kimmel Center Presents", which hosts a variety of jazz,
classical, and world pop performers.
Performance and other facilities
All are located under a distinctive vaulted glass ceiling. The
Center itself is a popular attraction, keeping its doors open to
the public seven days a week. It hosts thousands of visitors
annually who are able to take free tours of the facility.
- 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.
- Perelman Theater, with 650 seats, has a
75-foot-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 built on top of the Perelman Theater.
- Smaller performance spaces and meeting rooms.
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 their very own Youth Jazz Orchestra called The Kimmel
Center Youth Jazz Ensemble (KCYJE). This Ensemble includes many of
the best youth jazz musicians in the Philadelphia/New Jersey Area.
The Ensemble is recognized as a youth version of the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra.
Additionally, The Kimmel Center holds a Teen Summer Arts Camp every
year. Ten-day programs are offered in chamber music, choral/vocal
music, and jazz.
Gallery
Image:KimmelCenterRoofGarden.jpg|A roof garden in the Kimmel Center
interiorImage:Kimmel-center.JPG|Kimmel Center exterior, Broad
Street elevationImage:KimmelCenterExteriorNight.jpg|Kimmel Center
exterior, from across Broad Street at nightImage:Kimmel center
interior.JPG|Kimmel Center interior, Verizon Hall in middle,
daytimeImage:TonyBennettKimmelCenter.JPG|Verizon Hall interior, at
conclusion of
Tony Bennett
concert
See also
External links
References
Wikis
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