The Philadelphia Orchestra announces series of community events in Camden, NJ

(Philadelphia , May 19, 2005)

In the weeks and months leading up to its free Neighborhood Concert in Camden, NJ on July 5, The Philadelphia Orchestra offers a series of community events in Camden neighborhoods. From recitals and chamber music programs to workshops and master classes, the wide range of events gives Camden residents the opportunity to hear performances by the Orchestra's musicians, interact with them, and – in many cases – participate with them in collaborative performances.

•  On June 10, the gospel choir of Antioch Baptist Church and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra , who performed together last year, come together again for a concert at Antioch Baptist Church.

•  A jazz ensemble featuring Orchestra musicians , as well as guest vocalist Sandra Turner-Barnes, performs at the Renaissance Arts Festival 's gala reception on June 11.

•  On June 15, the Fay Family Quartet – made up of Philadelphia Orchestra bassist David Fay, his wife, and their children – perform a concert at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception .

•  Musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra perform a family concert at St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral on June 20.

The Orchestra also continues to build close, in-depth relationships with Camden schools. Orchestra musicians have been involved in an on-going program of visits to elementary schools in Camden . The program, which began in April, included four visits by musicians to three schools, culminating in small ensemble performances at each school. The schools program is supported by a curriculum unit on Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story , one of the works featured on the Orchestra's July 5 concert. Orchestra musicians will also coach percussionists at the Creative Arts High School in May and June, and three student percussionists will be featured onstage with The Philadelphia Orchestra at the July 5 Neighborhood Concert playing the Mambo from Bernstein's Symphonic Dances.

In June, a group of Orchestra musicians and staff members, organized by Orchestra cellist Robert Cafaro, will return to Camden for the second year to participate in a Habitat for Humanity building project.

Additional community activities in May included two public performances. On May 6, musicians of the Orchestra, as well as five community choirs and praise dancers from Camden, presented A Spring Musical Extravaganza hosted by the Camden Professional Roundtable . On May 9, the Orchestra's Principal Timpani Don S. Liuzzi and Orchestra violinist Hirono Oka performed a recital at the South Jersey Performing Arts Center's Studio Theatre at the Tweeter Center .

The highpoint of the Orchestra's community events in Camden this summer is a free Neighborhood Concert at Whitman Park on Tuesday, July 5 , in which Camden students and residents will perform with the Orchestra.

Transportation to Neighborhood Concert
In an effort to make the concert accessible to all, The Philadelphia Orchestra has arranged for a shuttle bus service to pick up concertgoers at several locations throughout Camden for the July 5 Neighborhood Concert. Shuttles will pick up passengers at 6 p.m. at the following locations: Northgate II, 500 North 7th Street; Riverview Towers (exact address to be confirmed); St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral, 2907 Federal Street; and St. Joan of Arc Church, Collings Avenue and Alabama Road. Transportation will be provided to and from the concert site with shuttle buses leaving twenty minutes after the concert ends and returning concertgoers to their original pick-up locations. Parking is available at each pick-up site. For updates on transportation details, please visit www.philorch.org/neighborhood.

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, NJ, 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 canceled 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. Major funding for The Philadelphia Orchestra's Camden Community Partnership Initiative is provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Community Partners Program, with additional funding 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.

Community Concert
Antioch Baptist Church, 700 Ferry Avenue , Camden, NJ

June 10 at 7 p.m. – Friday evening

Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra
Gospel Choir of Antioch Baptist Church

Performance features a collaboration between Orchestra musicians and the Antioch Baptist Church Choir.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, please call Antioch Baptist Church at 856.966.1765.

Camden Neighborhood Renaissance Arts Festival – Gala Reception
Campbell's Field , 401 North Delaware Ave, Camden, NJ

June 11 at 6:30 pm. – Saturday evening

Gala reception begins at 6:30 p.m.

Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra
Sandra Turner-Barnes, vocalist

Jazz ensemble features musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra and special guest vocalist Sandra Turner-Barnes.

For more information, please call Camden Neighborhood Renaissance at 856.635.9500.

Family Concert
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Broadway and Market Street, Camden, NJ

June 15 at 7 p.m. – Wednesday evening

Fay Family Quartet
David Fay, double bass (Member of The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Pamela Fay, viola
Hillary Fay, violin
Alex Fay, cello

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, please call the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at 856.964.1580.

Family Concert
St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral, 2907 Federal Street, Camden, NJ

June 20 at 7 p.m. – Monday evening

Members of The Philadelphia Orchestra

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, please call St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral at 856.964.2776.

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. For more information, please call 1-800-COOPER or visit www.philorch.org/neighborhood.

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.

Major funding for The Philadelphia Orchestra's Camden Community Partnership Initiative is provided by

the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Community Partners Program.