Countdown to PIFA Begins with Opening Night At Kimmel Center 4/24

With two days until the April 7 opening night of the long-awaited Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), the Kimmel Center anticipates the debut of over 30 newly commissioned works, including the world premiere of Hope: an Oratorio, composed by Jonathan Leshnoff and performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with conductor Roberto Minczuk, April 24.

Inspired by the Kimmel Center, PIFA (April 7 to May 1) includes artists from the worlds of music, dance, film, circus arts, visual arts and theater, collaboratively working together to celebrate the spirit of innovation, collaboration and creativity present in Paris, circa 1910-1920.

PIFA's opening night on April 7 kicks off with a series of world premieres commissioned by the Kimmel Center for PIFA: Pulcinella Alive, with newly-commissioned choreography by Jorma Elo (7pm, Verizon Hall); A Passing Wind, a new music-theater work by Seth Rozin (7:30pm, Innovation Studio); Chance Encounters, a stunning display of aerial dance (10pm; Commonwealth Plaza); and the newly created digital installation of How Philly Moves by Philly native mural artist JJ Tiziou (dawn to dusk, Kimmel Center façade). Opening weekend continues with Robert Smythe's new production of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale, April 10.

"We are excited to engage the Philadelphia community with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts," said Kimmel Center President and CEO Anne Ewers. "Thanks to the generous support of the late Leonore Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation, PIFA is a creative force, bringing forth new works of every variety -- dance, music, theater, animation, puppetry, and more. The Kimmel Center is the home for many of these premieres and is the catalyst for the collaborations among its renowned Resident Companies and both Philadelphia and international artists."

Throughout the remainder of PIFA, the Kimmel Center continues to premiere newly-commissioned works. Hope: an Oratorio blends its classical and popular music styles in a work that embraces a universal spirituality. World pop singer Sussan Deyhim and Belgian jazz singer David Linx join classical vocalists Jessica Rivera and Jason Collins in this lyrical and moving work by rising star composer Jonathan Leshnoff (April 24, Verizon Hall); Heaven has Philly native hip hop choreographer Rennie Harris incorporating multimedia anime into a new dance work inspired by Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (April 15-17, Perelman Theater); Remember Paris, a new musical and theatrical multimedia experience, includes French improvisational organist Thierry Escaich collaborating with Philly director Emmanuelle Delpech (April 16, Verizon Hall); and Paris Wheels and the Ready Maids, produced by White Box Theatre, shares an interdisciplinary storytelling performance using dance, puppetry, music and voice (April 21-23, Hamilton Garden).

Additional works commissioned wholly or in part by the Kimmel Center for PIFA include: Wanamaker's Pursuit, a new play by Rogelio Martinez, tying fictional Philly department store heir Nathan Wanamaker to the world's fashion capital, Paris, produced by the Arden Theatre (April 7 to May 1); And, Who Stole the Mona Lisa, an enchanting new animation that tells the story of the theft of the Mona Lisa, set to Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, presented by Astral Artists (April 9, Perelman Theater).

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