The Philadelphia Orchestra announces free Neighborhood Concert at Penn's Landing

Penn's Landing hosts one of three Neighborhood Concerts

Wachovia sponsors the Orchestra's 2005 Neighborhood Concert series

(Philadelphia, April 28, 2005)

The Philadelphia Orchestra performs a free Neighborhood Concert at the Festival Pier at Penn's Landing on Friday, July 1, at 7:00 p.m. The concert is part of the Orchestra's 2005 Neighborhood Concert series, sponsored by Wachovia. In addition to the concert at Penn's Landing, the series includes performances at Whitman Park in Camden, N.J. on July 5, and at Montgomery County Community College on July 11. All concerts are free and open to the public.

The Philadelphia Orchestra returns to Penn's Landing after a successful concert at the Great Plaza there in July 2004. Led by Orchestra Associate Conductor Rossen Milanov, the concert features Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man , selections from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and Candide , and works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev that were inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet.

“It gives us great pleasure to have Wachovia as a partner once again for our entire Neighborhood Concert series,” says Orchestra President Joseph H. Kluger. “Their generous financial support allows us to continue to bring the music of The Philadelphia Orchestra into a variety of neighborhoods, and we look forward to working with our Penn's Landing partners to return again this summer.”

“We're proud to again sponsor The Philadelphia Orchestra's free Neighborhood Concert Series, which entertained thousands of people last year in Philadelphia and Camden,” says Hugh Long, Wachovia Bank State CEO for Pennsylvania/Delaware. “We know that not everyone can make it to the Kimmel Center for an Orchestra performance, and we want to make sure that people in communities across this region have the opportunity hear these great musicians.”

The Philadelphia Orchestra's Neighborhood Concert series
The 2005 Neighborhood Concert series continues The Philadelphia Orchestra's commitment to celebrating the vitality of neighborhoods throughout the Philadelphia region, bringing the Orchestra into communities in a variety of settings, and introducing the world-renowned ensemble to new audiences. The Orchestra revived its free Neighborhood Concerts in 2000 as part of its centennial celebrations as a tangible expression of the Orchestra's gratitude to the people of Philadelphia for their 100 years of support. By bringing the gift of music into the communities where people live, the Orchestra has worked to break down the barriers that separate it from many people in the community. The Neighborhood Concerts have continued each year since the centennial. In 2000, the Orchestra performed free Neighborhood Concerts in Upper Darby, North Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square, and Northeast Philadelphia. Subsequent Neighborhood Concerts were held in West Philadelphia in 2001; Washington Township, N.J., in 2002; and South Philadelphia in 2003. In 2004, the Orchestra expanded its Neighborhood Concert series to include a total of three concerts. Performances in Camden and at Penn's Landing took place successfully, but a concert scheduled at Montgomery County Community College was cancelled due to rain.

In addition to the generous support of Wachovia, this year's series of three Neighborhood Concerts is made possible in part through the ongoing support offered by the Orchestra's fund for education and community, one of four funds established with the Annenberg Foundation's $50 million gift to the Orchestra's endowment, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Printing services for the concert series are provided by Canon Business Solutions.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's educational and outreach activities enrich the lives of over 35,000 youngsters and 140,000 adults in the Philadelphia region each year, through a variety of musical encounters. The Orchestra also serves as the region's greatest ambassador to our country and the world through domestic and international tours, serving as a cultural bridge and economic development engine for greater Philadelphia.

Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording technologies and outreach. With only six music directors piloting The Philadelphia Orchestra through its first century, the ensemble has maintained an unparalleled cohesiveness and unity in artistic leadership.

This rich tradition is carried on by Christoph Eschenbach, who began his tenure as the Orchestra's seventh music director in September 2003. Concluding an acclaimed first season together that saw the launch of the Orchestra's first-ever multi-year cycle of Mahler's complete symphonies, Maestro Eschenbach and the Orchestra toured the music capitals of Europe in the spring of 2004. In May and June 2005, they travel to Asia for a three-week tour.

The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than 1 million music lovers worldwide through its performances (more than 300 concerts and other pre­sentations each year), publications, recordings, and broadcasts. A major winter subscription season is presented in Phila­delphia each year from September to May, in addition to education and community part­ner­ship programs. Its summer schedule includes a month-long outdoor season in Phila­del­phia at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, free concerts in local neighborhoods, and a three-week residency each August at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York.

PENN'S LANDING NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT

Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia

July 1 at 7:00 p.m. – Friday evening

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor

Copland     Fanfare for the Common Man
Bernstein     Overture to Candide
Tchaikovsky      Romeo and Juliet
Prokofiev      Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
Bernstein      Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Ward      “America, the Beautiful”

This concert is free and open to the public.

Wachovia presents the 2005 Neighborhood Concert series with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2005 Neighborhood Concerts are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

CAMDEN NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT

Whitman Park, Davis and Copewood Streets, Camden, NJ

July 5 at 7:00 p.m. – Tuesday evening

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor
Charlotte Blake Alston, speaker
Camden Community Concert Choir

Copland     Fanfare for the Common Man
Ellington     Black, Brown, and Beige
Bernstein     Overture to Candide
Bernstein     Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Smallwood     “Total Praise”
Johnson      “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Ward     “America, the Beautiful”

This concert is free and open to the public.

Wachovia presents the 2005 Neighborhood Concert series with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2005 Neighborhood Concerts are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT

Montgomery County Community College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA

July 11 at 7:00 p.m. – Monday evening

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Rossen Milanov, conductor

Copland     Fanfare for the Common Man
Bernstein      Overture to Candide
Tchaikovsky     Romeo and Juliet
Prokofiev      Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
Bernstein      Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Ward      “America, the Beautiful”

This concert is free and open to the public.

Wachovia presents the 2005 Neighborhood Concert series with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Philadelphia Orchestra's 2005 Neighborhood Concerts are funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.