FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Margie Smith
215-790-5867
margiesmith@rpac.org
Keisha Hutchins
215-790-5847
khutchins@rpac.org

THE KIMMEL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS ANNOUNCES 2002-2003 SEASON

PHILADELPHIA (April 6, 2002) – Mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter and Sarah Chang, 81-year-old jazz icon Dave Brubeck, pianist Lang Lang and six of the world’s greatest orchestras, including the legendary Vienna Philharmonic, are among the highlights of the 2002-2003 season of Kimmel Center Presents Great Orchestras on Tour, Great Artists, Recitals and Ensembles, Jazz Masters, Jazz Up Close, and Dance Series. Kimmel Center Presents will offer six subscription series with performances in three venues, The Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall and Perelman Theater, and the Academy of Music. Subscriptions go on sale immediately.

The new season, the first full season in the breathtaking new performing arts complex, also includes three nights of powerful dance by PHILADANCO, another Resident Company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Rounding out the Kimmel Center Presents Dance Series are performances by Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Broadway’s The Lion King choreographer Garth Fagan and Edward Villella’s Miami City Ballet in the first Philadelphia performances of George Balanchine’s Jewels.

"The 2002-2003 season of Kimmel Center Presents builds on our resounding inaugural success," said Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts President and CEO Janice Price. "In just four short months, tens of thousands of people have come to The Kimmel Center to attend concerts in our beautiful new halls, tour the building, or enjoy the free entertainment in Commonwealth Plaza. The subscription performances we announce today continue our commitment to bring the best of the performing arts to Philadelphia, give our audiences a diversity of choices, and complement the outstanding offerings of the other Resident Companies."

Additional programming for the 2002-2003 season, to be announced this summer, includes pop, folk, R&B, world music, family concerts and special events. Kimmel Center Presents also will offer a variety of summer performances in 2002. A series of summer festivals and special events will be announced in May.

"We’ve built a beautiful building. Now we have an incredible opportunity to build a performing arts center with a unique artistic vision, and we’re just beginning to do that," said Mervon Mehta, Director of Programming and Education for The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. "Audiences at The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music can expect performances that make a difference and programming that reflects the best of all genres of music, dance and theater from Philadelphia and around the world."

The centerpiece of Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts, The Kimmel Center opened its doors in December 2001 to local, national and international acclaim. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts surpassed all subscription goals for the 2001-2002 inaugural season. A majority of the first season’s performances were sold out.

Subscribing is the easiest way to guarantee seats for sold-out shows at The Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music during the 2002-2003 season. Additional benefits of subscribing include savings on tickets, advance notice of special events, and discounts at Center City retailers and restaurants. Subscriptions can be purchased by phone by calling 215-893-1955, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or in person at Ticket Philadelphia at 1420 Locust Street, Suite 320.

Kimmel Center Presents is generously supported by corporate sponsors BMW, Fleet and the Verizon Foundation.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center, manages The Academy of Music, and serves as home to nine Resident Companies including Kimmel Center Presents, programming that offers a rich diversity of choices to complement presentations by the other companies. Activities of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts also include arts-in-education programming provided by the Merck Arts Education Center and free entertainment throughout the year featuring a wide range of local and regional artists.

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KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS 2002-2003 SUBSCRIPTION SERIES

The New York Times calls Verizon Hall "precise, luminous architecture for lovers of rich, cultivated sound." Five of the world’s best orchestras will take the stage, each bringing its own unique sound to resonate in the superior acoustics of this glorious space.

Friday, October 4, 2002, 8pm

Kurt Masur, conductor

Yuri Bashmet, viola

R. Strauss: Til Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, Op. 28

Walton: Viola Concerto

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, Op. 100

Former New York Philharmonic Music Director Kurt Masur conducts the Resident Symphony Orchestra of London’s Royal Festival Hall. The London Philharmonic makes its first Philadelphia appearance since 1987, performing Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, conceived, in the composer’s words, as "a symphony of the greatness of the human spirit."

Friday, November 15, 2002, 8pm

Mariss Jansons, conductor

Krystian Zimerman, piano

Bartok: Piano Concerto No .3

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, "Leningrad"

"One of the finest orchestras on the planet," (The Evening Standard, London), the Pittsburgh Symphony has secured its ranking as a world-class orchestra. Maestro Jansons leads the orchestra and acclaimed pianist Krystian Zimerman in a powerful program of 20^th Century masterpieces.

Friday, February 7, 2003, 8pm

Franz Welser-Möst, conductor

Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E Minor

Long considered one of America’s great orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra stands today among the world’s most revered symphonic ensembles. Franz Welser-Möst takes the helm in 2002-03 and brings the Orchestra to Philadelphia in his first tour as its Music Director.

Friday, March 21, 2003, 8pm

Philadelphia Debut

Valery Gergiev, conductor

Olga Borodina, mezzo-soprano

Berlioz: Le Mort de Cleopatre

Scriabin: Le Poem de l'extase

Stravinsky: The Firebird (complete)

"The Kirov Orchestra is a perfectly balanced, impeccably blended virtuoso instrument…"(The Los Angeles Times). The Orchestra that premiered Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite makes its first visit to Philadelphia to perform the complete ballet score. Valery Gergiev, Principal Conductor of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, also will lead the Kirov in music by Scriabin and Berlioz.

Sunday, May 11, 2003, 2pm

Lorin Maazel, conductor

Brahms: Symphony No. 1

Debussy: La Mer

R. Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

From its home base in Munich, the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra has become one of the world’s premier touring orchestras, performing regularly in the major concert centers of four continents. Chief conductor since 1993 and newly appointed Music Director of the New York Philharmonic Lorin Maazel leads his farewell tour with the Orchestra, performing a program of symphonic favorites.

Five-Concert Package in Verizon Hall

$560 First Tier Box

$485 Prime Orchestra, Orchestra Box

$370 Orchestra, Orchestra Tier, First Tier

$265 Second Tier, Side Second Tier Box

$190 Third Tier, Side Third Tier Box

$145 Rear Second Tier Box, Conductor’s Circle

Special Non-Subscription Concert

Wednesday, March 5, 2003, 8pm

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Gidon Kremer, violin

Berg: Violin Concerto (1935)

Bruckner: Symphony No.4, "Romantic"

From the birthplace of classical music comes its most storied ensemble. The Vienna Philharmonic, with a history of legendary performances and a tradition of preeminence, makes its first visit to Philadelphia in 30 years. This once-in-a-lifetime concert event is on sale now only to subscribers.

$177 First Tier Box

$153 Prime Orchestra, Orchestra Box

$117 Orchestra, Orchestra Tier, First Tier

$84 Second Tier, Side Second Tier Box

$59 Third Tier, Side Third Tier Box

$44 Rear Second Tier Box, Conductor’s Circle

Five performers who have earned worldwide popularity, these superstars of classical music each make their Verizon Hall recital debuts this season.

Sunday, October 20, 2002, 2pm

Lambert Orkis, piano

An international artist with multiple Grammy Awards to her name, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter brings her musical gifts to Verizon Hall in this eclectic program. Titled "Song and Dance," the recital features the music of Schubert, Fauré, Brahms, Gershwin and Previn.

Sunday, February 2, 2003, 2pm

Peter Serkin, piano

The Brandenburg Ensemble

Jaime Laredo, conductor & violin

A former student and now faculty member at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, American pianist Peter Serkin is recognized as an artist of passion and integrity. The program includes J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Concertos No. 1 in D Minor, No. 2 in E Major and No. 7 in G Minor as well as Brandenburg Concertos No. 3 in G Major and No. 5 in D Major. The performers return to The Kimmel Center in the fall of 2003 with a program that completes the keyboard series with Concertos Nos. 3,4,5 and 6.

Sunday, March 9, 2003, 2pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

Lars Vogt, piano

Born in Philadelphia, Sarah Chang performed with Riccardo Muti and The Philadelphia Orchestra when she was eight years old. Now 21, with more than a decade of concert experience, this Curtis graduate received the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize in 1999. Her program will include sonatas by Franck and Beethoven.

Monday, April 21, 2003, 8pm

Evgeny Kissin opened Carnegie Hall's centennial season with his spectacular debut recital and has performed to sell-out crowds ever since. With a repertoire that stretches from Chopin to Prokofiev, from Bach to Tchaikovsky, Kissin’s extraordinary virtuosity has won him countless awards.

Thursday, May 1, 2003, 8pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

From his prize-winning performance at the 1961 Warsaw Chopin Competition to his 2002 Grammy Award nomination, Maurizio Pollini has sustained a remarkable career as one of the master pianists of our time. A brilliant performer, he was recently honored with the release of a 12-CD set of his recordings.

Five-Concert Package in Verizon Hall

$305 First Tier Box

$261 Prime Orchestra, Orchestra Box

$203 Orchestra, Orchestra Tier, First Tier

$149 Second Tier, Side Second Tier Box

$109 Third Tier, Side Third Tier Box

$81 Rear Second Tier Box, Conductor’s Circle

Special Non-Subscription Concert

Sunday, September 29, 2pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

Le Musiche Nove Chamber Ensemble

Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli rocketed to fame in the early 1990s, heralded by critics as "a heartwarming miracle…handsome, gracious, divinely gifted…" Her famously expressive voice has kept her in demand at opera houses and concert stages around the world. She is joined by a baroque chamber orchestra for this program of works by Vivaldi, Gluck, Monteverdi and others. Tickets are on sale now only to subscribers.

$97 First Tier Box

$84 Prime Orchestra, Orchestra Box

$64 Orchestra, Orchestra Tier, First Tier

$46 Second Tier, Side Second Tier Box

$33 Third Tier, Side Third Tier Box

$25 Rear Second Tier Box

The versatile and intimate Perelman Theater is the setting for this wonderfully eclectic five-concert series featuring acclaimed chamber music recitalists and ensembles.

Sunday, October 20, 2002, 2:30pm

Andrew Manze, conductor and violin

Founded in 1973 to perform Baroque and Classical music on period instruments, the Academy of Ancient Music gives audiences an experience of this music as it might have sounded at the time it was written. One of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, the Academy will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and works by Handel and Telemann.

Sunday, December 15, 2002, 2:30pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

Martin Katz, piano

The "Pavarotti of countertenors," David Daniels has almost single-handedly been responsible for the revival of interest in the art of the countertenor through his operatic performances and recordings. His voice, says the New Yorker, has the "flintiness of a Sutherland, the acrobatic agility of a Horne, and the mysterious pathos of a Von Stade."

Sunday, January 19, 2003, 2:30pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

The dazzling duo pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque are known for their seamless ensemble and dynamic stage presence, delivering piano flourishes, says The Philadelphia Inquirer, with a "clear-etched, I-know-exactly-what-I’m-doing confidence." Their debut recital program here will include works by Gershwin and Brahms, as well as the Symphonic Dances and Selected Songs from Bernstein’s West Side Story, with percussionist Colin Currie.

Friday, March 14, 2003, 7:30pm

Philadelphia Recital Debut

Hailed by critics as a "pianist-sensation," Philadelphia’s favorite adopted son and Curtis graduate approaches every performance with passion and buoyant ferocity. Lang Lang has embarked on a meteoric solo career with spectacularly successful concerto debuts in Philadelphia and New York. This performance at The Kimmel Center will surely be an unforgettable musical experience.

Friday, April 11, 2003, 7:30pm

Richard Stoltzman has been praised as "an artist of indescribable genius" (Washington Post) and "the world’s most phenomenal clarinetist" (Boston Globe). He teams up for this recital with six-time Grammy Award-winner Emanuel Ax. The program will include both of the Brahms Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano.

Five-Concert Package in Perelman Theater

$200 Plaza Level, Plaza Box, First Balcony, First Balcony Box

$130 Second Balcony, Second Balcony Box

JAZZ MASTERS

Verizon Hall is Philadelphia’s coolest new place to hear the biggest names in jazz. This quintet of concerts features legendary jazz artists on saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass and drums.

Friday, October 25, 2002, 8pm

Throughout his lengthy career, Dave Brubeck has been one of the most popular musicians on the jazz scene, earning the admiration of aficionados and casual listeners alike. His 1959 album Time Out, with its classic single "Take Five," was the first jazz record to go gold. Still going strong at age 81, Dave Brubeck was one of the icons of jazz profiled in the recent Ken Burns PBS series.

Friday, December 20, 2002, 8pm

Two jazz icons with careers spanning the last four decades team up for an evening of jazz standards and reinvented holiday classics. Jazz vocalist extraordinaire Nancy Wilson, whose hits include "Guess Who I Saw Today" and "Tell Me the Truth," and her lifelong friend pianist Ramsey Lewis, Artistic Director of the Ravinia Jazz Festival in Chicago, join forces for an unforgettable evening.

Wednesday, January 29, 2003, 8pm

with special guests Roy Hargrove and Gonzalo Rubalcaba

With an arsenal of technique and inexhaustible energy, Jesús "Chucho" Valdes is Cuba’s most renowned jazz musician. With guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Valdes and his band explore the rich musical heritage of Cuba. Joining the bill is Grammy Award-winning bassist Charlie Haden’s ensemble Nocturne, with Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. "Elegant, emotionally charged, beautiful music," says The San Francisco Chronicle.

Friday, March 7, 2003, 8pm

One of the giants of bop, this living legend has performed and recorded with such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Renowned for his improvisational skill, Rollins has contributed several original works to the catalog of jazz standards and he continues to expand the audience for jazz with his exuberant and exceptional concert performances.

Sunday, March 23, 2003, 7:30pm

Roy Haynes, Nicholas Payton and Kenny Garrett

with special guests the Heath Brothers

Drummer Roy Haynes, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonist Kenny Garrett top the list of outstanding jazz musicians headlining this all-star salute to Charlie "Bird" Parker with fresh interpretations of Parker’s classic tunes, like "Yardbird Suite" and "Now’s the Time." Philadelphia’s own "Little Bird" Jimmy Heath and his brothers Percy and Tootie will share the bill.

Five-Concert Package in Verizon Hall

$285 First Tier Box

$234 Prime Orchestra, Orchestra Box

$234 Orchestra, Orchestra Tier, First Tier

$174 Second Tier, Side Second Tier Box

$128 Third Tier, Side Third Tier Box

$83 Rear Second Tier Box

The artists in this series are breaking new ground and expanding the horizons of jazz. Witness their artistry in the intimate concert setting of Perelman Theater.

Saturday, November 2, 2002, 7:30pm

Artist of the Year and Trumpeter of the Year in Down Beat Magazine’s 2000 Reader’s Poll, New Orleans native Terence Blanchard has found success as both a performer and a composer. His lush, melodic sound can be heard on the soundtracks he wrote for Spike Lee films including Malcolm X, as well as albums of jazz standards like last year’s Let’s Get Lost. He welcomes special guest pianist Jason Moran, whose latest recording was recently named Album of the Year by JazzTimes Magazine.

Saturday, December 7, 2002, 7:30pm

When Nnenna Freelon first hit the jazz scene, she was frequently compared to Sarah Vaughan. Now with six albums and five Grammy nominations under her belt, she has proven her originality and defined her own musical personality. A versatile singer with a beautiful voice, Ms. Freelon incorporates jazz, gospel and pop influences into a unique and soulful style.

Saturday, January 18, 2003, 7:30pm

With David Finck

André Previn is that rare and remarkable musician who moves between the worlds of classical music and jazz and holds the respect of listeners in both. His classical career has included distinguished conducting posts and composing success, but Previn began his career as a jazz pianist. He has never lost his love for jazz, and he returns to those roots yet again in this performance with bassist David Finck.

Saturday, February 15, 2003, 7:30pm

Violinist, composer and fiddler Mark O’Connor has been hailed as a "genius," whose works are "brilliantly original." The fireworks of his fiddle playing bring audiences to their feet, and his sophisticated compositions have been embraced by critics and performers around the world. A Grammy Award winner (for Appalachia Waltz with Yo-Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer), Mark O'Connor composed "Olympic Reel" for Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Games.

Saturday, March 15, 2003, 7:30pm

Winner of the 1993 Thelonious Monk competition, French pianist Jacky Terrasson is one of the brightest stars in a new generation of jazz artists. Vibraphonist Stefon Harris has emerged as a leading jazz innovator with an exciting sense of style. Drawing on the classic sounds of their predecessors, yet constantly pushing into the future, these two gifted young artists established their musical rapport in 2001 with the acclaimed album Kindred.

Five-Concert Package in Perelman Theater

$189 All Seats

Classic to modern, dance communicates in a universal language. Experience the visual and visceral power of dance with world-renowned dance companies from near and far.

Thursday, November 21, 2002, 7:30pm

Friday, November 22, 2002, 7:30pm

Saturday, November 23, 2002, 7:30pm

Perelman Theater

"Sheer pleasure in dancing radiates from this modern-dance troupe," says The New York Times. A Resident Company of The Kimmel Center, Philadelphia’s own PHILADANCO is celebrated throughout the world. Founder and Artistic Director Joan Myers Brown and her 16 dancers made their Perelman Theater debut last season to standing-room-only crowds and critical acclaim.

Friday, February 28, 2003, 7:30pm

Saturday, March 1, 2003, 7:30pm

Sunday, March 2, 2003, 2:30pm

Perelman Theater

Garth Fagan, Tony Award-winning choreographer of Broadway's The Lion King, has been called "a true original" and "one of the great reformers of American dance." Fagan's singular dance language draws on many sources: the sense of weight in modern dance, the torso-centered movement and energy of Afro-Caribbean tradition, the speed and precision of ballet, and the rule-breaking experimentation of the post-moderns. His Company's dancers are known for their individuality, their unstylized approach, and their sheer physical virtuosity.

Friday, March 28, 2003, 7:30pm

Saturday, March 29, 2003, 7:30pm

Sunday, March 30, 2003, 2:30pm

Perelman Theater

Cutting-edge choreography and narrative pieces presenting cultural commentary have been signatures of Ronald K. Brown/Evidence since they began performing as a company in 1985. Artistic Director Ron Brown is known for lush movement and big imagery. His Grace and Serving Nia have won great acclaim as new additions to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater repertory. "Few today can match the depth of his ability to marry message and medium." (The New York Times)

Saturday, April 26, 2003, 8pm

Sunday, April 27, 2003, 2pm

Presented in collaboration with Pennsylvania Ballet

in George Balanchine’s Jewels

Academy of Music

Led by Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella, Miami City Ballet gives the first Philadelphia performances of George Balanchine’s complete Jewels trilogy. "Emeralds," set to music by Fauré, is gracious, elegant and languorous. "Rubies" is a spirited jazz essay, brash and irreverent, set to the music of Stravinsky. And "Diamonds," set to Tchaikovsky, is formal and reminiscent of the beautiful perfection of St. Petersburg. With its sparkling production of this luminescent ballet, Miami City Ballet has made Jewels its own.

Four-Event Package (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) in Perelman Theater and the Academy of Music*

$155 Plaza Level, Plaza Box, First Balcony, First Balcony Box

$117 Second Balcony, Second Balcony Box, Stage

Friday Dance Series includes Saturday performance by Miami City Ballet

Sunday Dance Series includes Thursday performance by PHILADANCO

*Miami City Ballet will perform at the Academy of Music. Plaza Level and First Balcony subscribers will be seated in the Academy’s Parquet. Second Balcony and Stage subscribers will be seated in the Academy’s Balcony.

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