PHILADELPHIA (January 9, 2013) – Woodmere Art Museum announces the spring line-up for Music at Woodmere, its popular jazz and classical concert series connecting music to the story of Philadelphia’s art and artists. This season offers tributes to the work of Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and Jimi Hendrix; performances by Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, Peter Beets, Astral Artists’ Michael Mizrahi, Philadelphia Opera Company and other musicians; and a month of performances celebrating the role of jazz in 1946 in conjunction with the 2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. [A full schedule is included below].
The series, which began in 2010 and has continued to attract new audiences to the historic Chestnut Hill museum, includes Friday Night Jazz and Classic Sundays: Opera, Chamber and Classical on Sunday afternoons. Performances are made possible through partnerships with the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, and Lifeline Music Coalition. Audiences are able to enjoy refreshments and take in Woodmere’s rotating special exhibitions while listening to the artistry of world-class musicians. The spring season runs through April, coinciding with Just In: Recent Acquisitions in the Collection of Woodmere Art Museum (January 26-March 17); The Phillip Jamison Collection (January 26-May 5), Philip Jamison Watercolors: The Spirit of Chester County (January 26-May 5) and The Promise of Peace: Violet Oakley’s United Nations Portraits (March 30–June 30, 2013).
Woodmere Art Museum is located at 9201 Germantown Avenue. Classic Sundays run January 27-March 3 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. Friday Night Jazz runs February 1-April 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. All concerts include light refreshments. Tickets are $20 general admission or $10 for museum members. Tickets are available for purchase online at woodmereartmuseum.org or by calling 215-247-0476.
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 ($10 for members), can be purchased online or at the door.
Info: 215-247-0476, www.woodmereartmuseum.org
CLASSIC, January 27: Masterpieces by Mancini featuring principle musicians from Tempesta di Mare. The Baroque Orchestra Tempesta di Mare continues its Artist Recital Series, featuring cofounder and director Gwyn Roberts playing six rarely performed recorder sonatas by Neapolitan composer Francesco Mancini. She will be accompanied by colleagues Richard Stone on lute and Adam Pearl on piano. This series is in partnership with the Barnes Foundation.
JAZZ, February 1: Ella and Ellington. Vocalist Tonya Lynette, pianist Jim Holton, and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble focus on the music of two of America’s great jazz artists: Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. The performance will explore Fitzgerald’s songbook and bring Ellington’s signature keyboard wizardry and compositional genius to light.
CLASSIC, February 3: Bringing Beethoven and Chopin into the 21st Century featuringAstral Artists’ Pianist Michael Mizrahi pairing new works for the solo piano with pieces by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 2 and Chopin’s Mazurka in F Minor; exploring ways in which newer works by Patrick Burke, John Mayrose, Ryan Brown, William Britelle, and Judd Greenstein interact with older classics.
JAZZ, February 8: Lee Smith. Philadelphia born, legendary upright jazz bassist, Lee Smith will be performing music from his new CD “Sittin’ on a Secret” with his quintet.
CLASSIC, February 10: Beethoven and Schubert Piano Trio performed by Trio Cleonice, which has established itself as one of the most creative, communicative and exciting young ensembles in the United States. The concert will present Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 70 No. 2, andPiano Trio in E-flat Major, D. 929 by Franz Schubert.
JAZZ, February 15: Jazz Plugged in: Tribute to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix. Jazz goes electric with the music of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, and other explorers of the “snap, crackle, and pop!” of electrified jazz featuring guitarist Frank Butrey of the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble.
CLASSIC, February 17: Bullfighter’s Prayers and Love Ballads featuring the classically trainedDali String Quartet, offering a program rich with traditional Latin American songs, tangos, and string quartet compositions of the 19th and 20th centuries. Works by composers Efrain Amaya, Heitor Villa-Lob, Luiz Bonfa, JoaquinTurina, Carlos Gardel, Carols Almaran, and Abelardito Valde will be performed.
JAZZ, February 22: Jazzy Tribute to Jerome Kern with pianist Pete Smyser in a jazzy tribute to one of the most important American theater and popular music composers of the early twentieth century. Classics include “Ol’ Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”
CLASSIC, February 24: Beethoven and Bach Meet Villa-Lobos and Uebayashi featuring flutist Lisamarie McGrath and renowned cellist Jeffrey Solow combining the best of the European classics—Telemann, Beethoven, and Bach—with the humor and virtuosity of twentieth-century Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos and Japanese composer Yuko Uebayashi.
JAZZ, March 1: Thelonious Monk: Piano Genius with Jeff Knoettner on piano and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble performing Monk classics in a narra-musical about the life and music of one of jazz’s most significant musicians. Classics include “Blue Monk,” “Well You Needn’t,” “Epistrophy,” “Nutty,” “Reflections,” “Pannonica,” and others.
CLASSIC, March 3: Philadelphia Opera Company Performing Benjamin Britten will explore musical selections on the themes of peace, harmony, and tranquility from the opera and concert stages in preparation for the company’s presentation of Benjamin Britten’s opera OwenWingrave, and as a precursor to Woodmere’s exhibition The Promise of Peace: Violet Oakley’s United Nations Portraits (March 30–June 30, 2013).
JAZZ, March 8: Carolyn Malachi: Sweet Songstress of Hip Hop. Malachi’s unique approach to music combines jazz, hip-hop, spoken word and lots of imagination. Her rich, soulful voice takes the audience on an extraordinary musical journey. Dubbed the “sweet songstress,” the independent, Grammy-nominated artist is the great-granddaughter of pianist John Malachi.
JAZZ, April 5: Peace Treaty: Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong* Performed in collaboration with PIFA and featuring Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with special guests Tony Smith and Michael Burton on trumpets honoring the opening sessions of the United Nations in which Dizzy Gillespie asked Louie Armstrong for a peace summit regarding the new music of the time, bebop (which Armstrong hated), at Madame JoJo’s—a popular jazz club in 1946 London. The song list includes Armstrong’s “Basin St. Blues,” “West End Blues,” and “Sleepy Time Down South,” and Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia,” “Salt Peanuts,” and “Manteca.”
JAZZ, April 12: Hope for the Future: Bebop and Jazz of the 1940s* Performed in collaboration with PIFA featuring the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with Lucky Thompson on drums, Cindy LeBlanc on flute and piano, Will Wright on trumpet, Warren Oree on bass, Rich Tucker on guitar, and vocals by Pat Scott. Both the United Nations and bebop were platforms that spoke of freedom of ideas, human rights, and hope. The concert presents a collection of popular jazz tunes performed or composed in 1946, including commentary on their relevance to the first sessions of the United Nations in 1946 London. Featured songs will include bebop pioneer Charlie “Bird” Parker’s compositions “Now’s the Time,” and “Anthropology,” as well as “Epistrophy” by Thelonious Monk.
JAZZ, April 19: This Joint Is Jumpin’: A Victory Day Celebration* Performed in collaboration with PIFA featuring the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble with guests Harold Watkins on trombone, Monique Canniere on violin, and Jim Holton on piano. The 1946 Victory Day parade overlooked the rationing, shortages, industry nationalizations, and other wartime hardships that persisted in London. Woodmere will recreate the jazz party on the banks of the Thames River and Westminster Bridge as was done when King George VI went by on his Royal Barge. Songs will include “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Jumpin’ at the Woodside,” and “Lester Leaps In.”
JAZZ, April 26: A United Nations Jazz Jam: Musicians from Around the World* Performed in collaboration with PIFA. Just as the UN brought together representatives of various countries to share their common beliefs in peace, Woodmere will bring together musical influences and musicians from several of the countries present at the first UN assembly. The international jazz jam session set in London’s Jazz Café will include songs such as “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Duke’s Place,” “Shiny Stockings,” “ ‘C’ Jam Blues,” “Red Top,” and more.
