Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts Ends 5/1

Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit and The Philadelphia Orchestra join together with arts and cultural organizations throughout the city for the inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). The festival will end on May 1, 2011. Audiences will revel in an array of one-time, only-in-Philadelphia productions by many of the region's top talents. PIFA will feature music, dance, fashion, fine arts, poetry, cuisine, and more-all generously flavored with the essence of Paris, circa 1910-20.

The Orchestra, under the baton of Associate Conductor Rossen Milanov, opens the Festival with a special collaborative performance of Stravinsky's Pulcinella with Pennsylvania Ballet (April 7, 8, 9, and 10). Dancers from the Ballet join the Orchestra on the stage of Verizon Hall to perform the work, which features new choreography by Jorma Elo, resident choreographer of the Boston Ballet and an established star in the dance world. Manuel De Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat is performed in its entirety by the Orchestra in the first half of this program. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, tenor Nicholas Phan, and bass-baritone Shengyang join the Orchestra as soloists. Written for and premiered in 1919-20 by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, The Three-Cornered Hat and Pulcinella both originally featured choreography by Léonide Massine and sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso.

Also during the Festival, renowned conductor David Zinman leads the Orchestra in a program that juxtaposes the salacious with the sacred (April 14-16). The program opens with a five-movement suite drawn from Berg's unfinished opera Lulu, a sort of "preview of coming attractions" that the composer hoped would generate interest in the opera at a time when the Nazi regime was curtailing performances of his music. Mahler's Fourth Symphony provides quite a contrast to the disturbing story of Lulu. It is modest, intimate, and classical in form, ending with a final movement that presents an ethereal setting of the folk poem "The Heavenly Life" for soprano and orchestra. Soprano Jennifer Welch-Babidge, who is making her Philadelphia Orchestra debut, is soloist in both works.

In the Orchestra's final performances as part of PIFA, Mr. Dutoit leads performances of two rarely-heard masterworks by Stravinsky, Apollon musagète and Oedipus Rex (April 28-30 in Verizon Hall; May 3 at New York's Carnegie Hall). Both works, which are based on Greek mythology, were most recently performed by the Orchestra in 1992 under the baton of Mr. Dutoit. Tenor Paul Groves (Oedipus), mezzo-soprano Petra Lang (Jocasta), bass-baritone Robert Gierlach (Creon/Messenger), baritone David Wilson-Johnson (Tiresias), tenor Matthew Plenk (Shepherd), narrator David Howey, and Men of the Philadelphia Singers Chorale join the Orchestra for Oedipus Rex.

About our Partners

Pennsylvania Ballet is one of the premier ballet companies in the US, having earned a reputation for its impassioned artistry and technical virtuosity, and having received widespread acclaim for its performances of a diverse repertoire with a Balanchine base.

The company was established in 1963 by Barbara Weisberger, a protégée of George Balanchine. A leader in the regional ballet movement of the 1960s, the company performed at City Center in New York in 1968, which led to a decade of national touring, appearances on PBS' Dance in America series, and a period as the official company of the Brooklyn Academy Of Music. From 1987 to 1989 Pennsylvania Ballet forged an alliance with Milwaukee Ballet. The new organization, with 43 dancers and a greatly expanded repertoire, was the first in the country to offer its dancers year-round employment.

In 1995 Roy Kaiser was named artistic director. A former company member, Mr. Kaiser rose through the ranks from corps de ballet to principal. Following his retirement he served as principal ballet master and associate artistic director before being named to his current position. Under Mr. Kaiser's leadership the company has expanded its Balanchine-based repertoire to include bold, innovative new works from both established and emerging choreographers, including Merce Cunningham, Christopher d'Amboise, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, David Parsons, Benjamin Millepied, and Christopher Wheeldon.

The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), inspired by the Kimmel Center, launches the city's art and cultural scene onto the world stage with a three-week festival offering performances, exhibits, and events for loyal fans and casual attendees. Based on the philosophy of collaboration, innovation, and creativity, PIFA's programs represent every arts discipline and include more than 100 partners. Offerings include newly commissioned works, classical performances, and exhibits, surprising partnerships featuring local and International Artists and exciting explorations of traditional, non-traditional, new, and emerging art forms. In homage to the artistic energy of Paris 1910-20, PIFA celebrates works from that era and new creations inspired by the brashly innovative spirit of the period. The Festival was made possible by an extraordinary grant from Philadelphia philanthropist Leonore Annenberg, whose vision for a city-wide celebration of the arts shaped its philosophy and programming. PIFA takes place April 7-May 1, 2011.

A charitable, not-for-profit organization, Kimmel Center, Inc., owns, manages, supports, and maintains the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center. Kimmel Center, Inc., also manages the Academy of Music, owned by The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts' Merriam Theater. The Center's mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The 2010-11 season is sponsored by Citi and the Broadway 2010-11 season is sponsored by Verizon and American Airlines. For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world's leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

With only seven music directors throughout more than a century of unswerving orchestral distinction, the artistic heritage of The Philadelphia Orchestra is attributed to extraordinary musicianship under the leadership and innovation of Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti (1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). After 30 years of a celebrated association with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Charles Dutoit continues the tradition as chief conductor.

Since Mr. Dutoit's debut with the Orchestra in July 1980 he has led hundreds of concerts in Philadelphia, at Carnegie Hall, and on tour, as artistic director of the Orchestra's summer concerts at the Mann Center, artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra's summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and now as chief conductor. With the 2012-13 season, the Orchestra honors Mr. Dutoit by bestowing upon him the title conductor laureate.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin assumed the title of music director designate in June 2010, immediately joining the Orchestra's leadership team. He takes up the baton as The Philadelphia Orchestra's next music director in 2012.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of countless music lovers worldwide, through concerts, presentations, and recordings. Each year the Orchestra presents a subscription season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, education and community partnership programs, and annual appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center; it also regularly tours throughout the world. Its summer schedule includes performances at the Mann Center, free Neighborhood Concerts throughout Greater Philadelphia, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org .