PHILADELPHIA – Woodmere Art Museum is giving music lovers more reasons to extend their visit with a new season of Music at Woodmere, which continues to attract emerging and established talents through their weekly Friday Night Jazz and Classic Sundays: Opera, Chamber & Classical concerts. Performances often stretch the expectations of the genre, infusing blues, Brazilian samba and the Motown sound into contemporary jazz; or adding a Latin beat to a classical repertoire. Concerts resume Friday, October 12 through Sunday, December 23, and include accompanying activities for families to enjoy together.
Among the highlights this season at Woodmere are a Tribute to Sarah Vaughan: First Lady of Jazz with vocalist Denise King, kicking off the season during Friday Night Jazz on October 12. Audiences can experience international music from Phyllis Chapell and SIORA: World Songs/World Jazz on October 26 and Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble follows up last year’s popular Motown concert with Motown Meets Jazz, Part 2 on November 9. A returning favorite, Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is also featured in December covering the work of Fats Waller (Dec 7) and offering a jazzy take on the sounds of the holiday (Dec 21).
Harpsichordist Adam Pearl makes his Woodmere debut as part of the Tempesta di Mare: New Artist Recital Series on November 4, a performance offered in conjunction with the Barnes Foundation. Romantic compositions fill the gallery when pianist Oxana Harlamova returns with tenor Perry Brisbon on November 18. Astral Artists also presents emerging talent on December 16 with music by The Jasper String Quartet, winners of the 2010 Astral Artists National Auditions, and Classic Sundays wrap up the year with seasonal favorites performed by The Opera Company of Philadelphia on December 23.
Most Friday Night Jazz events include a Friday Night Family Happening, a companion family-programming event from 6 – 7 p.m. offering visitors with children the opportunity to engage the whole family in a visit to the museum. Early season activities coincide with the 2012 Straw Maze, Diagon Alley: Woodmere’s Wizarding Market, on-going through October 28. November features Kid Cinema, a selection of contemporary animated films such as Coraline and WALL-E.
Woodmere Art Museum is located at 9201 Germantown Avenue. Friday Night Jazz is held Fridays October 12 – December 21 from 6 – 8 p.m. Classic Sundays are held Sundays October 14 – December 23 from 3 – 4:30 p.m. Admission to Friday Night Jazz and Classic Sundays is $20 per person ($10 for members, FREE for children under 12). Tickets are available online or at the door. For more information, visit woodmereartmuseum.org or call 215-247-0476.
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ
Fridays October 12-December 21, from 6 – 8 p.m.
CLASSIC SUNDAYS
Sundays October 14–December 23, from 3 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $20 each ($10 for members, Children under 12 are FREE). Available online or at the door. Info: 215-247-0476, woodmereartmuseum.org
Friday Night Jazz performances also include free companion family programming for children from 6 – 7 p.m., offering visitors with children the opportunity to engage the whole family in a visit to the museum.
JAZZ, October 12: Tribute to Sarah Vaughan: First Lady of Jazz. Vocalist Denise King takes a break from her European tour to bring “Sassy” Sarah Vaughan to Woodmere, delivering classic tunes such as “Misty”, “If I Were a Bell”, “Perdido”, and “Teach Me Tonight”.
Friday Night Family Happening: Fall 2012 Straw Maze, Hogwarts Castle
CLASSIC, October 14: Philadelphia Trio Performs Beethoven, Bach and Liszt. Journey through the German symphonic tradition with the Philadelphia Trio, who will perform 7 Pieces by Max Bruch; trios for clarinet, cello and piano by Beethoven and Brahms; and Elegy for Piano and Cello by German-influenced, Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. Philadelphia Trio members Deborah Reeder (cello) and Elizabeth Keller (piano) will be joined by Clarence Salinger (clarinet).
JAZZ, October 19: David Posmontier: Renaissance Man of Contemporary Jazz. Philadelphia favorite David Posmontier performs a wide range of classic and contemporary jazz as well as original materials written by Posmontier.
Friday Night Family Happening: Fall 2012 Straw Maze, Magic Book
CLASSIC, October 21: French Connections. Russian pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro present music by French composers Darius Milhaud and Maurice Ravel. The duo will also perform French-inspired works by American composer George Gershwin and Austrian composer Franz Schubert on a piano four hands.
JAZZ, October 26: Phyllis Chapell and SIORA: World Songs/ World Jazz. This program blends music from the US, Latin America, South America, Europe and the Middle East. Incredible vocals by Ms. Chapell along with SIORA’s unique arrangements of international music “shaken and stirred: with American jazz makes for an evening that is fresh and unforgettable.
Friday Night Family Happening: Fall 2012 Straw Maze, Harry Potter Weekend: Tri-Wizard Tournament, Magic Wands and Treats from the Trolley
CLASSIC, October 28: Leon Bates: Pushing the Boundaries of Convention. Internationally known local pianist Leon Bates brings to life the drama and passion of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “enlightened” music, the romantic strains of Frederic Chopin, the impressionist music of Maurice Ravel, and the experimental music of George Gershwin.
JAZZ, November 2: Sexy, Sultry Blues. Blues powerhouse Frank Bey and the Swing City Blues Band belt out blues favorites like “Georgia,” “What’d I Say,” “Stormy Monday,” and more.
Kid Cinema:Coraline (2009)
CLASSIC, November 4: Tempesta di Mare: New Artist Recital Series. Harpsichordist Adam Pearl, a principal musician of the Baroque orchestra Tempesta di Mare, performs works by Bach, Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, and Jacques Duphly. This recital is offered in conjunction with the Barnes Foundation.
JAZZ, November 9: Motown Meets Jazz, Part 2.Back by popular demand, the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with vocalists Roy Richardson and Patricia Scott take us back to the pulsating beats and rhythms of the Motown sound. Relive the captivating grooves of “Heat Wave,” “My Girl,” “Ooo Baby Baby,” “What’s Going On,” and more of your old school favorites.
Kid Cinema:Ponyo (2008)
CLASSIC, November 11: Cachaça Ensemble: Classical Latin Beat. Enjoy the international classical Latin music of guitarist Emiliano Pardo-Tristán and the Cachaça Ensemble featuring the authentic instruments and music of Cuba, South America, Argentina, and the Islands.
JAZZ, November 16: Monnette Sudler’s Ladies Night Out. Renowned guitarist Monnette Sudler, saxophonist Lynn Riley, organist Noriko Kamo, and percussionist Leesa Dawn Robinson bring their signature sound to jazz selections like “Footprints,” “Invitation,” and Sudler’s chart-busting original, “The Other Side of the Gemini.”
Kid Cinema:WALL-E (2008)
CLASSIC, November 18: The Romantics: Pianist Oxana Harlamova and Tenor Perry Brisbon. The words and songs of the romantic period come to life with tenor Perry Brisbon and pianist Oxana Harlamova. The performance includes composers who wrote from their hearts, pairing their lush melodies with the text of great poets, including Richard Strauss, Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verde, Gabriel Fauré, Henri Duparc, and Umberto Giordano.
JAZZ, November 30: Samba Journey. The Brazilian group Minas creates an intimate and unforgettable musical tapestry of rhythms that draw from the Brazilian traditions of samba, bossa nova, baião, blending them with American jazz, blues, and folk. Go south of the border on a musical excursion to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil.
Kid Cinema:Despicable Me (2010)
CLASSIC, December 2: Blending Old and New: The Meiravi Quartet. The Meiravi Quartet, led by Peter Nocella, presents the best “old” classics alongside contemporary music. Enjoy the quartet’s fresh rendition ofQuartet in F Major, K. 590 by Amadeus Mozart and Nocella’s String Quartet No. 2.
JAZZ, December 7: Ain’t Misbehavin’: Music of Fats Waller.The legendary songbook of Fats Waller comes to life at Woodmere as Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble revisits classics like “Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Blue Turning Grey Over You,” “Stormy Weather,” and “Honeysuckle Rose.”
CLASSIC, December 9: Two Greats: Gershwin and Rachmaninoff. Pianist Marja Kaisla performs a selection of works from two of the great pianist-composers of the early twentieth century: George Gershwin and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Kaisla will share anecdotes about the music giants and perform the entire solo version of Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin, as well as some of his own solo piano versions.
JAZZ, December 14: Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul. Vocalist Lisa Chesvous will earn your R-E-S-P-E-C-T as she delivers Franklin favorites such as “A Natural Woman,” “Dr. Feelgood,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and more.
CLASSIC, December 16: Astral Artists Present the Jasper Quartet. Join the Jasper Quartet for this program featuring string quartets from the patriarch of the First Viennese School Joseph Haydn to romantic classical music of Felix Mendelssohn.
JAZZ, December 21: Jazzy Good Cheer. Join the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble as they end the jazz fall season on a high note of holiday and family favorites such as “Let It Snow,” “The Christmas Song,” “Greensleeves,” and others.
CLASSIC, December 23: The Opera Company of Philadelphia. The Opera Company of Philadelphia offers seasonal favorites from various centuries.
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
Friday Night Jazz is offered in partnership with LifeLine Music Coalition. WRTI is a partner for Music at Woodmere.
