Philadelphia Orchestra Holds Neighborhood Concert at Temple

(Philadelphia, October 4, 2013)—Philadelphia Orchestra Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads his first Neighborhood Concert when the Orchestra heads up North Broad Street this fall for a FREE concert at Temple University’s Performing Arts Center, Wednesday, November 6, at 7 PM. The concert is presented by Wells Fargo, a supporter of the Orchestra’s Neighborhood Concerts since 2003.

“I have been looking forward to conducting my first Neighborhood Concert since I was introduced to Philadelphia after being named music director in 2010,” said Nézet-Séguin. “On that day I had the great pleasure of attending a Neighborhood Concert the Orchestra was performing in Upper Darby, and I saw immediately the importance of not just opening our doors at the Kimmel Center to the community, but also going into neighborhoods and reaching those who may not otherwise have the chance to visit us in our home. Having led my first Martin Luther King Tribute Concert with the Orchestra last January, I have seen first-hand the joy that is created when the Orchestra brings its music out to the citizens of the region. I am eager to continue this tradition with my first Neighborhood Concert at Temple University on November 6 and further strengthen the vital connection that exists between the musicians and the community. 

The program for the Neighborhood Concert features a variety of family-friendly works, including Bernstein’s Overture to Candide, Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Saint-Saëns’s “Bacchanal” from Samson and Delilah, and Ravel’s Bolero.                                                                                                                   

The Neighborhood Concert is free and seating is on a first come, first served basis. Tickets, however, are required and can be reserved by calling 1.800.298.4200; online at www.templeperformingartscenter.org; or in person at the Liacouras Box Office at 1776 N. Broad Street. Tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, October 16, at noon.

“At Wells Fargo, we are proud of our long history supporting The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of Philadelphia’s world class institutions,” said Greg Redden, Wells Fargo’s regional president for Greater Philadelphia and Delaware. “As presenting sponsor of the Orchestra’s Free Neighborhood Concert Series for the 10th year, we are delighted to continue the tradition of bringing the Orchestra’s music to thousands of people. The concert series offers a wonderful opportunity for community residents to come together in their own neighborhood to enjoy a live performance of one of the world’s great classical music ensembles.”

“With 39 members of The Philadelphia Orchestra serving on the faculty of Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, we feel as though the University is already family,” said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. “With this Neighborhood Concert we are strengthening that bond and deepening our roots in the wonderful North Philadelphia community that surrounds the University. We also want to express our deepest gratitude to Wells Fargo for its unstinting support of the Orchestra and our community outreach and Neighborhood Concert Series. For 10 consecutive years they been our partners in strengthening our community and we are most appreciative,” Vulgamore said.

The Temple Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is located in the former Baptist Temple on the University campus. It was certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission as a Historical Building in 1984, and in 2003 it was designated by the American Institute of Architects as a Landmark Building. The building underwent an extensive $30-million renovation, including the complete restoration of the Romanesque facade, while the inside of the building now includes a modern design with high ceilings, intricate stained glass windows, and a thrust stage that extends into the theater, which seats more than 1,200 people. As the northern anchor on the city's Avenue of the Arts, TPAC provides the North Philadelphia community with an opportunity to experience the kind of cultural and artistic programming that previously could only be found in Center City. TPAC is located at 1913 N. Broad St., Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Neighborhood Concert Series

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Neighborhood Concert Series continues the Orchestra’s commitment to bringing the music of the world renowned ensemble to communities throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The concerts create greater access and engagement with classical music as an art form for young children to their grandparents—and everyone in between—in their own backyards. By bringing the power, majesty, and fun of the music they create together into a variety of neighborhoods, the musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra help ensure that music lives in the hearts of people for generations to come, no matter where they reside.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has presented Neighborhood Concerts since its centennial year in 2000. Concerts have taken place in such neighborhoods and sites as Upper Darby, Allegheny West, Rittenhouse Square, Northeast Philadelphia, University City, Washington Township, NJ, South Philadelphia, Penn’s Landing, Montgomery County Community College, Villanova University, Camden, NJ, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia’s City Hall, East Falls, and the Curtis Arboretum

About our Partners

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States.  Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.  Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at blog.wellsfargo.com. In 2012, the Company invested $315.8 million in grants to 19,500 nonprofits, and team members contributed more than 1.5 million volunteer hours around the country. For more information, please visit: www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr.

Temple University

Temple University is a public four-year research university and a national leader in education, research and health care. Founded by Dr. Russell H. Conwell in 1884, Temple's official motto—Perseverantia Vincit, “Perseverance Conquers”—reflects its students' drive to succeed and commitment to excellence.

Temple is a vital institution in the Philadelphia region and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, contributing more than $3 billion toward Pennsylvania’s economy each year. The university also has a strong global reach, with long-standing and vibrant campuses in Tokyo and Rome and programs in London, Beijing and other locations worldwide, and nearly 300,000 alumni living around the world.

Wells Fargo is proud to present The Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2013 Free Neighborhood Concerts. Funding is provided by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the National Endowment of the Arts, the Annenberg Foundation and the Zisman Family Foundation.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the preeminent orchestras in the world, renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for a legacy of innovation in music-making. The Orchestra is inspiring the future and transforming its rich tradition of achievement, sustaining the highest level of artistic quality, but also challenging—and exceeding—that level by creating powerful musical experiences for audiences at home and around the world.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin triumphantly opened his inaugural season as the eighth artistic leader of The Philadelphia Orchestra in the fall of 2012. His highly collaborative style, deeply-rooted musical curiosity, and boundless enthusiasm, paired with a fresh approach to orchestral programming, have been heralded by critics and audiences alike. The New York Times has called Nézet-Séguin “phenomenal,” adding that under his baton, “the ensemble … has never sounded better.” He is embraced by the musicians of the Orchestra, audiences, and the community itself. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he has established a regular forum for connecting with concert-goers through Post-Concert Conversations.

Under Nézet-Séguin’s leadership the Orchestra returns to recording with a newly-released CD on the Deutsche Grammophon label of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Leopold Stokowski transcriptions. In his inaugural season the Orchestra has also returned to the radio airwaves, with weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts on WRTI-FM.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship not only with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center but also those who enjoy the Orchestra’s other area performances at the Mann Center, Penn’s Landing, and other venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association also continues to own the Academy of Music, a National Historic Landmark.

The Philadelphia Orchestra maintains a strong commitment to collaborations with cultural and community organizations on a regional and national level. Since Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore’s arrival in 2010 the Orchestra has reinvigorated and launched new partnerships with Opera Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Ballet, Philadelphia Live Arts (Fringe Festival), Philadanco, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Ridge Theater Company, and stage director James Alexander, among others.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, the Orchestra is a global ambassador for Philadelphia and for the United States. Having been the first American orchestra to perform in China, in 1973 at the request of President Nixon, today The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a new partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The ensemble annually performs at Carnegie Hall while also enjoying a three-week residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail festival.

The Philadelphia Orchestra continues its decades-long tradition of presenting learning and community engagement opportunities for listeners of all ages across the Delaware Valley. Concerts for families and schoolchildren; eZseatU, which allows full-time college students to attend an unlimited number of Orchestra concerts for a $25 annual membership fee; free Neighborhood Concerts; and PreConcert Conversations before every subscription concert are only a few examples of ways in which the Orchestra introduces orchestral music to a new generation of listeners. Musician-led initiatives, including recent highly-successful Cello and Violin Play-Ins, shine a spotlight on the Orchestra’s musicians, as they spread out from the stage into the community, and serve a key role in growing young musician talent and a love of classical music in their own dedicated roles as teachers, coaches, and mentors.   

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

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