| The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts | |
| Address: | 300 South Broad Street |
| City: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 |
| Country: | United States |
| Architect: | Rafael Viñoly Architects, PC |
| Owner: | Ensemble Arts and The Philadelphia Orchestra |
| Capacity: | Marian Anderson Hall: 2,500 seats Perelman Theater: 650 seats |
| Type: | concert hall recital theater |
| Opened: | December 16, 2001 |
| Production: | Marian Anderson Hall: Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Perelman Theater: The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Opera Philadelphia, Philadanco, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society |
| Publictransit: | Walnut–Locust: 12th–13th & Locust + 15th–16th & Locust: SEPTA bus: |
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, which also manages the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and, as of November 2016, the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater). The center is named after philanthropist Sidney Kimmel.
The center is the home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America's "Big Five" symphony orchestras, as well as the Ensemble Arts Presents Series, including a variety of jazz, comedy, rock, dance, speakers, and more. Ensemble Arts Philly's facilities are home to some of Philadelphia's premier artistic organizations including the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Philadanco, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet, and Curtis Institute of Music.[1]
In 1986, the Philadelphia Orchestra approved a plan to construct a new concert hall to replace the aging Academy of Music. It hoped to complete the new facility in time for its 1991 season.[2] The desire to move the orchestra from its facilities in the Academy of Music emerged as early as 1908, however plans stalled due to the lack of consensus on the project's scope and funding. They were revived again in the 1920s only to be scuttled by the Great Depression. Plans emerged again shortly after World War II when performing arts centers were constructed in other cities such as New York, Washington and Los Angeles. Despite the 1986 commitment, the project languished until 1993 when Sidney Kimmel donated $12 million to the project and in 1995, Orchestra and community leaders met to help revitalize the concert hall and also discussed merging it with a venue to house other area organizations and visiting artists.[3] The two projects were officially merged as the Regional Performing Arts Center in 1996 and construction began in 1998. In 2000, the center was named for Sidney Kimmel in recognition of his gift in 1993 and an additional $3 million donation in 1998. The concert hall was originally named Verizon Hall to recognize contributions totaling $14.5 million in cash, equipment and services from Verizon and the Verizon Foundation.[4]
The architect of the center was Rafael Viñoly, and the acoustician was Artec Consultants. The Kimmel Center officially opened in an unfinished state on December 16, 2001.[5] This followed a gala preview on December 14 featuring performances by André Watts, Denyce Graves, Frederica von Stade and Sir Elton John and the Philadelphia Orchestra premiere at Marian Anderson Hall on December 15.[6] Numerous cost overruns and construction delays led to the filing of a lawsuit in 2005 by officials of the Kimmel Center against Viñoly. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2006.[7]
A distinctive vaulted glass ceiling encloses the entire structure providing a large common lobby for all the facilities. The center is a popular attraction, keeping its doors open to the public seven days a week. It hosts thousands of visitors annually and offers free tours of the facility regularly.
The Kimmel Center offers a variety of other programs besides concerts, specifically in the field of education. The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts presents a diverse array of educational offerings, including Jazz For Freedom, exploring social change through the history and traditions of Jazz; Musical Theater Program: Set The Stage, introducing middle school aged students to musical theater; a school ensemble program at KIPP West Philadelpha Preparatory Charter School, with instrumental, ensemble-based instruction for elementary and middle school students; Summer Arts Sessions, the performing arts summer camp; and so much more.