From dance and theater works to avant-garde music festivals and high-tech, interactive public art installations, Canary clients kept local, national and foreign-language press on their toes this fall. We’ve worked with these clients to create targeted messages that appeal to local and national press, expanding their reach and drawing new audiences. Read on for some highlights of our recent media relations work. (Pictured: Margaret Leng Tan, part of “Cage: Beyond Silence” presented by Bowerbird)

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DesignPhiladelphia is winding down, but there is still plenty to see this weekend as the annual celebration championing design in all forms comes to a close on October 23.

Have you noticed all the activity taking place at the empty lot at 313 S Broad St this week? The temporary exhibition and installation, aptly titled Not A Vacant Lot, is a response to Philadelphia’s pervasive vacancy problem. Curious? Stop in. Like nearly all of DesignPhiladelphia’s programming, it’s free and open to the public, through Sunday, October 23.

The project, in partnership with The University of the Arts, independent curator Marianne Bernstein and PennDesign students, has transformed the lot into a unique space using landscape design, installations, film screenings and other cultural offerings.

One of the highlights is artist and curator Marianne Bernstein’s newest project, The Play House, which is a multi-purpose aluminum 8x8’ cube installed within the exhibition. Teams of artists were invited to activate vacant lots throughout Philadelphia and document their work through short films. These films are being projected on the exterior of The Play House from 7-10 p.m. nightly. Performances are also taking place from within The Play House 4-7 p.m. daily. Read more »

Can you hear the music? Canary is working with Ars Nova Workshop, Philadelphia’s leading jazz and experimental music presenting organization, on media relations for two Spring concert series, the first of which kicks off this weekend! From Friday, March 11 - Sunday, March 13, ANW presents Composer Portrait: Fieldwork showcasing the collective and individual work of pianist Vijay Iyer, saxophonist Steve Lehman, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, who together make up the critically acclaimed trio Fieldwork. 

The Canary Promotion staff shares some favorite experiences from the past year.  Some are Canary clients; some are not (like this one here).

from Emaleigh Doley, Public Relations + Marketing Manager

I’m a sucker for street performance and cultural displays in unexpected places so it’s no surprise I’m a fan of the flash mob phenom. This year, the Opera Company of Philadelphia set out to engage the public with large-scale impromptu performances, much to the delight of unsuspecting audiences. The opera flash mobs are part of the Random Acts of Culture initiative supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. (Canary is working with the foundation on the Knight Arts Challenge Philadelphia - a separate project.)

In April, visitors to Reading Terminal Market’s Italian festival were treated to a surprise performance of “Brindisi” by the principal cast members of La Traviata. The singers were dressed in plain clothes as patrons of the market, including one singer who belts out his verse holding a fountain soda cup!

What’s particularly neat about the Opera Company’s use of flash mobs is that the company is taking opera out of the traditional theater and into public, modern spaces, singing among the people. It’s extremely rare to be surrounded by opera singers, right? Read more »