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The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is an internationally
acclaimed, state-of-the-art performing arts complex at Broad and Spruce
Streets. Considered by many to be the centerpiece of the Avenue of the
Arts, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts consists of two freestanding
performance halls enclosed beneath a spectacular 150-foot vaulted glass
ceiling or, in the words of architect Rafael Viñoly, “two
jewels inside a glass box.”
The Kimmel Center’s main performance halls are:
- Verizon Hall, a 2,500-seat cello-shaped concert hall with acoustics
designed by Artec’s Russell Johnson specifically for The Philadelphia
Orchestra
- Perelman Theater, a versatile 650-seat performance hall featuring
a rotating stage and theater design by Richard Pilbrow and Theatre Projects
Consultants
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in December 2001,
is both a cultural center, home to several of Philadelphia’s premiere
performing arts organizations, and a civic center, open daily to the public.
Resident Companies include The Philadelphia Orchestra, Peter Nero and
the Philly POPS®, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, PHILADANCO, Philadelphia
Chamber Music Society and American Theater Arts for Youth. (Two other
Resident Companies, Opera Company of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Ballet,
perform at the Academy of Music.) The Kimmel Center is also an important
stop for touring artists from around the world. Kimmel Center Presents
programming offers jazz, world, pop and classical music, dance, family
entertainment and special events.
Other highlights of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts include
the Merck Arts Education Center, offering classes and interactive exhibits;
the Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden, which affords sweeping views of the Philadelphia
city skyline; Commonwealth Plaza, featuring a lobby stage where local
and regional artists offer free public performances; Innovation Studio,
an intimate, experimental theater space; upscale dining at Cadence Restaurant
and the K. Lounge; light fare at the PECO Café; and the Intermission
gift shop.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is open every day from 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m. and later on evenings with performances. For more information,
call 215-893-1999 or visit online at www.kimmelcenter.org |