PHILADELPHIA— Connecting local audiences with Philadelphia’s art and artists through live music, Woodmere Art Museum presents a new season of the popular jazz and classical concert series Music at Woodmere. Since 2010, the series has continued to grow to attract new audiences to the historic Chestnut Hill museum, where refreshments are served and attendees are encouraged to explore Woodmere’s rotating special exhibitions. Programs include Friday Night Jazz and Sunday-afternoon Classic Sundays, every week from October through December, and performances are made possible through partnerships with WRTI and Lifeline Music Coalition.
This fall’s Friday Night Jazz lineup offers tributes to the work of iconic artists like Tina Turner, Grover Washington, Jr. and Nat King Cole; performances feature the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, Jazzy Divas and Tonya Lynette, among others.Classic Sundays rotates among opera, chamber and classical selections, ranging from a performance with authentic Baroque chamber music instruments by Tempesta Di Mare to arias and Broadway favorites by soprano Kathryn Guthri. [A full schedule is included below.]
The fall Music at Woodmere season runs through December, coinciding with the exhibitions The Poker Game And Its Circle (through October 26), Wild Flowers: Paintings and Drawings by Peter Paone (September 28-January 19) and On Paper: The Gift of Ann and Don McPhail (November 16-February 15).
Woodmere Art Museum is located at 9201 Germantown Avenue. Classic Sundays run November 3-December 22, 3-4:30 p.m. Friday Night Jazz runs October 4-December 20, 6-8 p.m. All concerts include light refreshments. Tickets are $22 general admission or $12 for museum members. Tickets are available for purchase online at woodmereartmuseum.org or at the door.
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES
Location: Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA
Tickets: $22 each, $12 for members, free for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at woodmereartmuseum.orguntil 11:59 p.m. the day before the event, or at the door until an hour before the event. Tickets not available by phone. First come, first served seating. Performances include light fare and wine.
Info: 215-247-0476, www.woodmereartmuseum.org
FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ
Fridays, 6 – 8 p.m.
October 4-December 20
October 4: What’s Love Got To Do With It?: A Tina Turner Tribute
Join Lisa Chavous as she shakes and shimmies all the music out of her soul to pay homage to one of the great female soul stirrers, Tina Turner. Lisa will perform some of Tina’s most popular tunes such as: Private Dancer, Proud Mary and, of course, the chartbuster What’s Love Got To Do With It? Chavous will also include some of the early Ike and Tina songbook when she was with her infamous husband, Ike Turner, songs like: A Fool In Love, I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine and more.
October 11: La Vie En Rose – Edith Piaf – Better Than French Wine
Vocalist Phyllis Chapelle brings the first lady of French song to the Friday Night Jazz series as she dances around the Piaf songbook and justifies Piaf’s title as France’s “national diva.” Songs include: La Vie En Rose, Mon Legionnaire, Le Garcon and Hymn a l’amour.
October 18: A Night At The Apollo – Harlem, NYC 1938
Take a trip to the jazz age. Join the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble as they take us to the sounds of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, Sidney Bechet and the “Jazz Age” lifestyle. You are encouraged to “Dress to Impress!” Songs include: Tuxedo Junction, Jitterbug Waltz, Mood Indigo, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Sophisticated Lady and more.
October 25: Mr. Magic – A Grover Washington, Jr. Tribute
The man who originated “Smooth Jazz” was an innovator and player of “all things saxophone.” He composed and performed with the passion that brought jazz into even more homes and hearts. His music was a “connector” for Jazz and Smooth R&B. Join the group Hidden Treasure as they perform some of Grover’s most memorable tunes like: Mr Magic, Let It Flow, Sad Samba, Just The Two of Us andWinelight.
November 1: Jazzy Divas – The Sound That Touches The Soul
The Jazz divas made an indelible mark on the music and the world. Sarah, Billie, Nina, Ella, Dinah and more come to life as our current day Jazzy Divas: Michelle Beckham, Sherry Butler, Tonya Lynette, Pat Washington, Lauren Lark and Jackie Joyner along with The Arpeggio Jazz Quartet create a vocal banquet as we all feast on the songs we have come to love. Songs include: Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, Misty, Four Women, What A Difference A Day Make, Tenderly and many more.
November 8: Smoother Than Silk – The Nat King Cole Trio
The voice that calmed the most frazzled nerves and soothed the restless beast in all of us. Nat King Cole was a pioneer in many ways and let his music forge the path that opened so many doors for musicians and audiences alike. This era of his music was his step into the world of jazz and cool that propelled him for the rest of his career. Songs from The Nat King Cole Trio will include: Sweet Lorraine, I Love You, L-O-V-E, When I Fall In Love, Paper Moon andSmile.
November 15: I Wanna Hold Your Band: Jazz Meets The Beatles
Four young men from Liverpool, England, made some unforgettable music for at least 25 years that demanded and received the music world’s attention … just like jazz did and continues to do. Their compositions were on equal footing with the social scene of their times. The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble will give us the jazzy styling of Beatles.
November 22: Great Legends in Jazz Guitars: Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, and Joe Pass
The guitar has always been an important element in jazz music. Join Frank Butrey, Matt Richards and Rich Tucker as they play the songs and styles of these great icons of the jazz guitar. Songs include: All of Me, Blues in the Private, Four by Six, Masquerade, Moody’s Mood for Love and many more.
December 6: Making Words Into Song – A Tribute To Johnny Mercer
The unforgettable lyrics of Johnny Mercer are handled with style and dignity by vocalists Tonya Lynette and others (to be announced), as we travel from Tin Pan Alley to Hollywood, reliving the songs that bring poignant memories to so many. Songs from Johnny Mercer’s career that have touched our lives include: Skylark, That Old Black Magic, Too Marvelous for Words, Midnight Sun, One for My Baby (andOne More For the Road).
December 13: That Southern Soul – Stax Records
Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Booker T and the MG’s, King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, The Staple Singers, Mavis Staples and many more “soulful” R&B artists that have added to America’s music collage have come from the studios of this famed record label. Vocalists Roy Richardson, Pat Scott, and Tonya Lynette with will take us to the soul kitchen of Stax with tunes like: Soul Man, I’ll Take You There, Green Onions, Hold On, I’m Comin, Try A Little Tenderness, Respect, and many others that will give you a taste of that “Memphis Soul Stew.”
December 20: The Holidays with Duke and Ella
Deck the halls with classic holiday favorites done in a jazzy style as we celebrate with Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Adam Faulk on piano and Suzette Burgess on vocals will put us in the right spirit with tunes like: The Christmas Song, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Let It Snow, We Three Kings and more.
CLASSIC SUNDAYS
Sundays, 3 – 4:30 p.m.
November 3 – December 22
November 3: Exciting and Elegant – Pianist Di Wu
Piano virtuoso Di Wu returns to Woodmere, following her debut appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra this past summer. Di Wu will present Etudes by Rachmaninoff and sonatas by Prokofiev. As the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winner, Di Wu is known for her recitals of rarely performed pieces as well as such popular classics, such as Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini.
November 10: Tempesta Di Mare: Authentic Baroque
This is a unique opportunity to hear baroque chamber music performed on rare, authentic instruments. Tempesta Di Mare’s Richard Stone will perform a program of lute music by Johann Sebastian Bach, theorbo music by Robert DeVisee (instructor to Louis XIV), and by the Italian poet and adventurer Bellerofonte Castaldi.
November 17: Philadelphia Legends: Mario Lanza and Paul Robeson
Perry Brisbon returns with a program featuring Philadelphia legends Paul Robeson and Mario Lanza. Mr. Brisbon will perform signature pieces for which Robeson and Lanza were known, such as Be My Love, by Nicholas Brodtsky, Celeste Aida by Verdi and Mattinata by Leoncavollo. Mr. Brisbon has won the prestigious Mario Lanza Competition twice and will enlighten audiences with the amazing story that connects these South Philly musical legends.
November 24: Kathryn Guthri: From the Opera House to Broadway
Soprano Kathryn Guthri offers a program of traditional songs, arias and Broadway favorites. Accompanied by the pianist Renate Rohlfing, Guthri will sing selections from La Boheme, Les Contes d’Hoffman, tunes from Broadway’s Showboat and others.
December 8: Marja Kaisla and Meri Siirala Celebrate the Swedish Heritage of Queen Village
A musical celebration of the 375th anniversary of Philadelphia’s Swedish Finnish settlement will be performed by virtuoso pianist Marja Kaisla and soprano Meri Siirala. The Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia, named for Sweden’s Queen Christina, was settled by Swedish and Finnish immigrants in 1638. They established the oldest church in Pennsylvania, Gloria Dei, most commonly known as Old Swedes Church. Kaisla and Siirala willperform works by Finnish composers Jean Sebelius, Toivo Kuula, Merikanto, Erkki Melartin and the contemporary great Kaija Saariaho.
December 15: Mostly Mozart: Roberto Diaz and Ellissa Koljonen
President of the Curtis Institute, violist Roberto Diaz and acclaimed violinist Ellissa Koljonen present works by Mozart as well as Bach, Hindemith, Ysaye; Solo Sonata No. 2, “Obsession” and the Handel-Halverson “impossible duet,” Passacagli.
December 22: Christmas Caroling with Main Line Opera Guild
The Main Line Opera Guild will perform holiday favorites and invite audience participation.
