Spotlight on Art-Reach
Summer at the Mann Center
A clear view of the Philadelphia skyline, picnic competitions and world-class music await Art-Reach members at the Mann Center this summer during eight performances of the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. An open-air theatre venue, the Mann Center is the perfect conclusion to a hot summer day and Art-Reach is pleased once again to partner with this long-standing Philadelphia treasure. Although these tickets cost $30 for the general public, Art-Reach members can attend Mann concerts at the incredible price of $1 per ticket! Members are also invited to participate in a matching ticket program for Mann shows this summer. For every ten tickets a member purchases, Art-Reach will match them with ten free tickets!
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The Mann Center entertains patrons with beautiful music and a stunning view of the Philadelphia skyline in the background! |
The beautiful location in Fairmount Park creates an informal and relaxed setting for what has traditionally been considered a conservative art-form. Varied in content, these concerts provide first-time listeners the opportunity to interact with classical music, while also offering seasoned listeners a refreshing new experience.
The summer series begins with La Bohème in concert on July 1st. The opera that inspired the 1996 Tony award-winning Broadway musical Rent will feature New Jersey singer Michael Fabiano as Rodolfo. The concert on July 22nd will feature three of Tchaikovsky’s most famous and recognizable works: Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and 1812 Overture. Adding to the dramatic nature of Tchaikovsky’s music, there will also be a fireworks exhibition that evening. Fireworks will also accompany the music of Berlioz on July 22nd.
Undercover seats are available for every show, but the center’s lawn seats afford the opportunity for picnics and a perfect view of the nighttime sky. The Mann Center will also sponsor two themed picnic competitions on the lawn. On July 2nd the orchestra will play a Night of Mozart and hold the first picnic competition named “Celestial Celebrations” in reference to the evening’s selections of Mozart music. The orchestra will feature Mozart’s Symphony no. 41, also known as the Jupiter Symphony, as well as selections from his opera Idomeneo, featuring a story full of Greek gods on the island of Crete.
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Come participate in Picnic Competitions at the Mann Center and enjoy a summer evening under the stars! |
The second picnic competition will take place on July 18th for Musorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite of ten piano compositions created as Musorgsky’s musical guide through a visual art exhibition. The pictures Musorgsky describes through his music belong to his friend Viktor Hartmann. The picnic theme “Pretty as a Picture” invites concert-goers to create their best spreads for Musorgsky’s tribute composition. Everyone should come prepared on both July 2nd and 18th to compete for exciting prizes!
The Mann Center brings classical music within reach with the summer performances of the Philadelphia Orchestra. It offers a singular musical experience as patrons can enjoy world-class music live while sitting or picnicking under the stars. Art-Reach members can join the fun with the special matching ticket offer and experience classical music in a new light or hear it for the first time in this unique setting.
Be sure to reserve your tickets soon! For more information contact the Art-Reach Programming Department at (215) 568-2115.
Art-Reach Wins 2008 Business/Arts Partnership Award!
Art-Reach is pleased to annouce that we have been chosen as the winner of the 2008 Business/Arts Partnership Award for a collaborative project with Sneaker Villa, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, students from Philadelphia Academies, and artist/arts educator Christina Roberts. Art-Reach was able to successfully complete the project largely through the support of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's North Central Empowerment Zone Funding Stream.
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The 2008 Business/Arts Partnership Award will be presented for a recent 12-week Anti-Violence Silk-Screen Workshop which enabled students from the Philadelphia Academies' program at William Penn High School to first engage in discussions about ways to prevent violence in thier neighborhood, and then create their own silk-screen designs.A panel of civic, creative, and community leaders later reviewed each of the designs and chose the winning design - “Turn Your Brain On…And Violence Off” - to be reproduced commercially on T-shirts sold at Sneaker Villa (a Philadelphia-based specialty retailer of urban-inspired apparel with 14 stores located in East Coast cities). The project's culimination, which took the form of a community reception at Sneaker Villa on May 24, 2007, celebrated student participation and served as the official “launch” party for the T- shirt. All proceeds from the T-Shirt were donated to extracurricular programs at William Penn High School.
Robrey Thompson wears his winning T-shirt design |
This program had a particular impact on Robfrey Thompson, the junior who designed the winning shirt. His participation in this project led directly to his selection as a summer apprentice at the Fabric Workshop, where he further developed his design technique and silk-screening skills. Since then, he has expressed an interest in pursuing a career in the visual arts. To create this kind of ongoing, potentially life-changing effect in a young person is a real testament to the project’s impact. |
Sneaker Villa, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, artist and educator Christine Roberts, and the United Way of Sourthern Pennsylvania played vital project roles for their donations of funding, time, materials, space, artistry, publicity and for their overall dedication to the project. Sneaker Villa volunteered to commercially produce the winning design at cost and even printed extra shirts for all 500 William Penn students. The estimated monetary value of the resources Sneaker Villa provided for this project is $5,000. The Fabric Workshop and Museum developed the artistic curriculum, provided teaching artist Christina Roberts to facilitate the project, and donated their silk-screening equipment and supplies.
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