Kimmel Center for the performing Arts | Philadelphia | During my last visit to Philadelphia, I saved some time to check the fantastic Kimmel Center for the performing arts, which will be the hosting venue for PIFA – Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. Kimmel Center Inc.’s mission is to operate a world-class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience from throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. The building and main entrance is on Broad Street only a few blocks away from the Philadelphia’s City Hall.
Internationally-acclaimed experts in their respective fields, architect Rafael Viñoly, acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC Consultants Inc., and Richard Pilbrow of Theatre Projects Consultants, have assembled a dynamic team to create The Kimmel Center. The Center includes these two buildings – Verizon Hall, home of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Perelman Theater, home of the chamber music, dance and drama, and Commonwealth Plaza, which are entirely enclosed by a surrounding structure of glass, steel and brick, so that the irregular spaces between and around them become a kind of indoor plaza, top-lit by day through an immense, glass-and-steel barrel vault roof.
All last minute details are being taken care by PIFA organizer and Kimmel Center, since in just less than 12 days will be the open ceremony (APRIL 7th.). Probe of this is the transformation of the Kimmel Center Plaza as an 81-foot light-bulb-filled Eiffel Tower reaches for the sky as trains and planes zoom overhead. Every day there will be French wine tastings, French lessons and French food. Followed by free nightly performances, a full service bar and lots more to keep your PIFA energy alive. CM
(*) For more information and tickets on PIFA 2011 please visit their official website @ www.pifa.org.
(**) To lear more about what is happening and been shown at the Kimmel Center for the performing arts please visit their website @ www.kimmelcenter.org
