Creatively Speaking

Woodmere's Annual Juried Exhibition Taps Into Regional Traditions

Jim Cotter — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:59:03 +0000

The Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill has an enviable collection of art in the realist tradition, from the 1800s to the present. It also has a renowned annual juried show which, this year, as WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, is dedicated to local, cutting-edge art. In Front of Strangers, I Sing: the 72nd Annual Woodmere Museum Juried Exhibition curated by Dona Nelson and Rubens Genoff runs through September 1, 2013.

Unconventional Repertoire At Pennsylvania Ballet

Jim Cotter — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:12:20 +0000

Classical ballet, like its sister art form classical music, is rooted in classic, older repertoire. But as WRTI's Jim Cotter reports, the region's premiere ballet company is stepping away from conventional works for a season-ending program by three living choreographers who have their own distinctive takes on the intersection of contemporary and traditional ballet.

Pennsylvania Ballet’s season ending production Forsythe & Kylián runs Thursday through Sunday at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

Behind The Scenes Of The International Organ Competition At Longwood Gardens

Susan Lewis — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:59:28 +0000

Longwood Gardens hosts its first International Organ Competition on June 18, 19, and 22. WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports on this new initiative at the botanical garden that was once a DuPont family summer home.

The competition features Longwood’s 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ, a panel of distinguished judges, and live performances by the world’s top young organists. The winner receives the world's largest organ competition prize: $40,000.

Maestro Simon Rattle: His Conducting Philosophy

Susan Lewis — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:43:22 +0000

This week’s WRTI Sunday radio broadcast of The Philadelphia Orchestra features Englishman Simon Rattle, music director of the Berlin Philharmonic, on the podium. WRTI's Susan Lewis has more on this much sought-after international conductor, who has a bond with the Philadelphians nurtured over the last 20 years.

Listen to WRTI on Sunday, June 16th at 2 pm to hear Sir Simon Rattle leading The Philadelphia Orchestra in a program featuring symphonies No. 6 and 7 of Sibelius, Norman’s Unstuck, and Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 3. Pianist Lang Lang is soloist.

Where Music Lives: At Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church In Washington Township, NJ

Meridee Duddleston — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:26:12 +0000

Music Lives in Gloucester County, New Jersey, where WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston finds a concert series that focuses on bringing music to a previously underserved community.

A concert series in southern New Jersey’s Washington Township attracts top-notch performers from the region, across the river, New York, and all around. The Music at Bunker Hill concerts take place in a church built on a high point in Gloucester County.

Starting with three concerts, the program has steadily grown. Having just completed its fifth season, the Sunday series stands out as a breath of fresh air. The sanctuary of Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church is the venue for Music at Bunker Hill, and it's Where Music Lives.

Let us know Where Music Lives in your community! Add your ideas in the comments section here and check out our other Where Music Lives posts.

The Philadelphia Orchestra Readies To Leave China: What Next?

David Patrick Stearns — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:20:44 +0000

The Philadelphia Orchestra may be one of the hardest working orchestra in show biz the way it’s been jumping around China recently.

Traveling with the Orchestra, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns considers what the future may hold, and discovers that there are other relationships taking shape.

Art and Golf in Victorian Great Britain

Susan Lewis — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:12:44 +0000

Golf’s U.S. OPEN starts on June 10th in suburban Philadelphia. WRTI’s Susan Lewis considers the relationship between art and golf in Victorian Great Britain, as a Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition spotlights an 1847 masterwork.

The Art of Golf runs through July 7th at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The Philadelphia Orchestra in China: Connecting With Autistic Children And Cancer Patients

David Patrick Stearns — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:51:30 +0000

In the title of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2013 China Tour and Residency, the word “residency” is as important as the word "tour." And this, as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns now reports from China, is bringing the musicians face-to-face with many who may never see the inside of a concert hall.

Sondheim's Sensational Songs At The Arden

Jim Cotter — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:18:55 +0000

Along with jazz and motion pictures, musical theater is one of the 20th century’s great American artistic creations. As WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, a masterwork by one of Broadway’s master craftsman is getting a makeover in Philadelphia.

http://youtu.be/KOZhmsp6iBQ

http://youtu.be/E1Uek39ithE

Though musical theater created outside the U.S. is often re-imported - think Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh - many of the most enduring works in the genre come from a theater artist who has been practicing his craft for longer than these two British composers have been alive.

Stephen Sondheim first came to international attention as the lyricist for West Side Story, but it is the works he created on his own in the decades since that have endured. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music. The Arden Theatre Company closes its 25th season with Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which runs through June 30, 2013.

Where Music Lives: Jazz and History At Cliveden

Susan Lewis — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:15:50 +0000

Music lives in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, at a site rich with American history. WRTI’s Susan Lewis explores Sol Unlimited Jazz and Arts at Cliveden. The summer music series kicks off this month on June 19th, or "Juneteenth," a holiday celebrating African American freedom from slavery. Each program features a variety of jazz styles, says producer Serena Sol Brown, including standards as well as original pieces.