Jim Cotter

Viva la Diva! Renee Fleming, Kiri Te Kanawa. CultureFiles: Marian Anderson Historical Residence and Museum. Clue:"What makes a good voice, a great voice?"

This week we look ahead to the opening of the Philadelphia Orchestra's season at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and speak with new artistic director Rossen Milanov; Jason Peifer visits the Contemporary Stage Company in Wilmington as they celebrate the work of the South African writer, Athol Fugard; We take a look at two dance events opening in Philadelphia this week: Dance Boom! and the New Festival; and in our regular dip into the CultureFiles section at GoPhila.com, Susan Lewis visits Independence Hall.

We visit the Wagner Free Institute of Science in Philadelphia. It's just won a national award for innovation in education for doing things the old-fashioned way! Susan Lewis explores truth, memory, and the murkiness of memoir with artists from this week's First Person Arts Festival. And in our regular exploration of the CultureFiles section at GoPhila.com, Jason Peifer visits the Wilma Theater.

On this week's Creatively Speaking! with Jim Cotter, we listen back to four recent features from the CultureFiles section at GoPhila.com. We'll visit Philadelphia's Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum. Almost thirty years after they created Franklin Court, we take a tour of the 1976 "ghost house" with architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott-Brown. Susan Lewis visits Camden's Adventure Aquarium and explores Historic Yellow Springs.

We're 'down the shore'. Susan Lewis takes a look at the Cape May Music Festival. We speak with Temple University history professor Bryant Simon. He's the author on Boardwalk of Dreams--a history of Atlantic City. Jason Peifer examines Cape May's vibrant theatre scene and we pay a visit to the Noyes Museum in Oceanville.

Jason Peifer takes a look at Daughters of Genius, a new comedy from 1812 Productions in Philadelphia. The play is about 17th century poet, John Milton, and his three daughters. Susan Lewis finds her way to The Salon, an underground concert series of classical, jazz and multicultural new music with an increasingly large following. And in our regular exploration of the CultureFiles section of GoPhila.com, we visit the neighbors at Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited street in the nation.

This week, a conversation with Ted Libbey, author of The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music. His book has broken new ground in publishing by having a companion website where readers can listen to full length examples of musical works cross-referenced in the book. Tom Dinardo explains how he spent six years trying to organize a performance of a work for organ by legendary Hollywood composer David Raksin. Susan Lewis explores Betsy Ross House. And Jason Peifer previews the world premiere of Some Men, a Terrence McNally play set to open at the Philadelphia Theatre Company.

This week, we're at rehearsals for the Opera Company of Philadelphia's season ending performance of The Marriage of Figaro to speak with mezzo soprano Kirstin Chavez. Jason Peifer previews The Pirate at the Prince Music Theater. The new musical is a live stage adaptation of a 1949 Vincente Minnelli film starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. And Susan Lewis explores the history of music theater.

On this week's Creatively Speaking!, a conversation with Vänskä. He's in town to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra. Jason Peifer visits the Delaware Theatre Company as they stage the premiere of A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage. The new musical is an adaptation of a Mark Twain short-story. We speak with new President and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, James Undercoffler. We look at a new art exhibit called "Soft Sites" which explores location and takes visitors "on location" from the Institute of Contemporary Art to Historic Bartram's Garden.

A conversation with Curtis Institute of Music president Gary Graffman who retires this year, and incoming president Roberto Diaz. Jason Peifer visits The Wilma Theater as they mount a festival of Caryl Churchill plays. The celebration will include two full productions and readings of five Churchill plays. As the Kimmel Center unveils a new work of art, Susan Lewis explores Philadelphia's history of promoting public art, from classical sculptures to clothespins. In our regular exploration of the CultureFiles section of GoPhila.com, we visit Historic Fallsington.