PHILADELPHIA – Audiences are invited to experience music and art together at Woodmere Art Museum in historic Chestnut Hill. Woodmere’s popular Friday Night Jazz and Classic Sundays series return every weekend for two months beginning February 10. Performed in the Museum’s grand Kuch Gallery, visitors can tour FORCE OF NATURE - Elaine Kurtz: A Retrospective and Elemental: Nature as Language in the Works of Philadelphia Artists – two new exhibitions inspired by the natural world – while enjoying music and light refreshments.
The celebrated works of influential and iconic jazz musicians are the focus of Friday Night Jazz, Friday evenings from 6 – 8 p.m. from February 10 – March 16. The series begins with A Tribute to Miles Davis: A Kinda Blue Valentine by Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble and featuring Tony Smith, one of Philadelphia’s most powerful trumpeters, on February 10. Additional tribute nights include the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughan (February 17), Nina Simone (Feb. 24) and Stan Getz (March 9).
In a special concert event on March 2, some of Philadelphia’s finest musical artists and most popular bandleaders will come together for Jazz Headz: Philadelphia’s Contribution to Jazz. Special guests include Duane Eubanks, Odean Pope, Webb Thomas, Monnette Sudler, Rich Budesa and Warren Oree.
Every Friday Night Jazz event also includes 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.
Classic Sundays encompass opera, choral and classical programming from critically acclaimed artists on Sunday afternoons from 3 – 4:30 p.m. from February 12 – March 16. The Pennsylvania Girls Choir will open with Love Songs, a cappella performances of Valentine’s Day standards including “My Funny Valentine” and “My Love Walks in Velvet” on February 12. Artists this season will include pianist Michelle Cann (February 19), The Academy of Vocal Arts (February 26), Finnish pianist Marja Kaisla (March 4), The Jameson Sisters (March 11) and a special program by Karl Middleman: An Afternoon with the Mendelssohns (March 18).
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ
Fridays 6 – 8 p.m.
CLASSIC SUNDAYS
Sundays 3 – 4:30 p.m.
Performances include light fare and wine.
Location: Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $20 each ($15 for members), can be purchased online or at the door. A special music package for any six classical or jazz concerts at Woodmere is also available for $100 ($75 for members).
Info: 215-247-0476, www.woodmereartmuseum.org
Friday Night Jazz performances also include free companion family programming from 6 – 7 p.m., offering visitors with children the opportunity to engage the whole family in a visit to the museum.
JAZZ, February 10: Tribute to Miles Davis: A Kinda Blue Valentine. Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with guest trumpeter Tony Smith. Selections will include Davis standards such as “Milestone” and “Freddie Freeloader” along with compositions he didn’t write but became associated with, such as “My Funny Valentine” and “Round Midnight.”
Friday Night Family Happening: Color Me Wild! Beat the winter doldrums and create a scene full of wild color.
CLASSIC, February 12: Love Songs by the Pennsylvania Girls Choir. A selection of timeless love songs performed by this a cappella group in honor of Valentine’s Day: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “My Funny Valentine,” “My Love Walks in Velvet” and several Cole Porter standards.
JAZZ, February 17: Jazz Legends: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughan. Narrated by upright bassist and composer Warren Oree and performed by Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble. This celebration of the role of jazz in black history will focus on the contributions of black composers and musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughan.
Friday Night Family Happening: Art from Unexpected Materials. Visit the Force of Nature exhibition in the Helen Millard Children’s Gallery and be inspired by Elaine Kurtz to make your own art from unusual materials.
CLASSIC, February 19: Haydn, Debussy, Liszt and Chopin performed by pianist Michelle Cann. The program includes Fantasia in C major by Joseph Haydn; “Gigues” from Images by Claude Debussy; Liebesträum no. 3 by Franz Liszt; and Sonata no. 3 in B minor by Frédéric Chopin. Cann appears courtesy of the Curtis Institute of Music.
JAZZ, February 24: Tribute to Nina Simone. Ella Ghant and her quartet honor Nina Simone, the high priestess of soul. The evening will include her best loved tunes, “Four Women,” “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “Mississippi Goddam,” and “Love Me or Leave Me.”
Friday Night Family Happening: Found Object Creations. Check out Dina Wind’s found object sculptures and create your own artworks.
CLASSIC, February 26: The Academy of Vocal Arts perform an afternoon of Broadway show tunes and opera hits by an ensemble of performers.
JAZZ, March 2: Jazz Headz: Philadelphia’s Contribution to Jazz. Artists include Duane Eubanks, Odean Pope, Webb Thomas, Monnette Sudler, Rich Budesa, and Warren Oree. “Ridge Avenue Swing” by Warren Oree, “Killer Joe” by Benny Golson, “Salt Peanuts” by Dizzy Gillespie, and “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane will be featured.
Friday Night Family Happening: Puppets on Parade. Design and make your own puppet.
CLASSIC, March 4: Chopin, Debussy, Gade and Liszt performed by Finnish pianist Marja Kaisla. Well known in the chamber music world, Kaisla has performed extensively in the United States and will be performing works by Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy, Niels Gade, and Franz Liszt.
JAZZ, March 9: Bossa Nova Meets Jazz: The Stan Getz Legacy. Saxophonist Victor North. Philadelphia-born saxophonist Stan Getz worked with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton, but was best known for his partnership with Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim and Brazilian singers João and Astrud Gilberto. Some of the compositions performed will be from the landmark 1964 recording Getz/Gilberto: “The Girl from Ipanema,” “Corcovado,” and the Grammy Award–winning composition “Desafinado.”
Friday Night Family Happening: Fancy Hats and Helmets. Use your imagination to create fun headgear.
CLASSIC, March 11: Celtic Tunes and Dances with Ellen Tepper and vocalist Terry Kane as the Jameson Sisters. Concert features a variety of instruments including the medieval harp and the Renaissance brat harp.
JAZZ, March 16: Cabaret Night. Jill Salkin. Singer, songwriter, and recording artist Jill Salkin is a seasoned performer with a soulful sound. Experience an intimate evening of jazz classics as well as works from Salkin’s releases The Very Thought of You (2009) and Heart’s Desire (2000), featuring original compositions influenced by jazz, pop, R&B, and folk.
Friday Night Family Happening: Story Time in the Parlor. Through storytelling, learn about works of art in Woodmere’s collection and take part in a simple, hands-on activity.
CLASSIC, March 18: An Afternoon with the Mendelssohns. Karl Middleman will perform the music and share the stories of the talented Mendelssohn family.
About Woodmere Art Museum
Housed in a 19th-century stone Victorian mansion on six acres in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Woodmere first opened its doors to the public in 1940. The building, grounds and the nucleus of the Permanent Collection are the benefactions of Charles Knox Smith (1845 – 1916), who wished “to awaken the spirit of, the appreciation of, and the knowledge of art … in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding territory.” Today, the Permanent Collection consists of more than 3,000 works of art, celebrating the art and artists of Philadelphia.
Woodmere’s core collection includes important paintings by renowned artists such as Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, Walter E. Schofield, Benjamin West, Frederic Edwin Church, Violet Oakley, Arthur B. Carles and many more. Woodmere’s nine galleries and salons, including a grand rotunda and a uniquely designated Helen Millard Children’s Gallery, provide space for exhibitions and programs that serve the entire family. In the George D. Widener Studio, a converted carriage house, a year-round roster of classes provides outstanding art training to children and adults. The recent addition of the Children’s Garden provides participants of Woodmere’s Summer Arts Community Program with outdoor space to display and enjoy works of art. The Helen Millard Children’s Gallery also showcases exhibitions of student artwork from local schools.
