Support the arts this week!

Now that you’ve finished your gift shopping, what are you going to do?

Below is a list of some concerts, recitals and other events happening in Philadelphia this week. Support the ARTS!


Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Electri-City Lighting Event Wednesday, December 17
Broad Street - Downtown PhiladelphiaPresented by Center City District
FREE!
http://www.centercityphila.org/

Jars of Clay “Love Came Down at Christmas” Wednesday, December 17
Keswick TheatrePresented by BRE Presents
$39.50
Call 215-572-7650 to order
http://www.keswicktheatre.com/

Philadelphia Orchestra Presents FREE Community Holiday Concert Wednesday, December 17
Martin Luther King High School, 7:30 pm

Winter Wonderland Pajama Storytime Wednesday, December 17
Free Library of Philadelphia - Parkway Central Library
Presented by Free Library of Philadelphia
FREE!
http://libwww.library.phila.gov/branches/branch.cfm?loc=CEN


Thursday, December 18, 2008

Christmas Jazz with Eric Mintel Thursday, December 18
Crossing Vineyards and Winery
$45
Call 215-493-6500 x19 to order
http://www.crossingvineyards.com/events/


Friday, December 19, 2008

The Nutcracker, Friday, December 19
Mary Louise Curtis Branch of Settlement Music School
7 PM, FREE
http://www.smsmusic.org/branches/mlc.php?t=1

Nouvelle, Nouvelle! Christmas in Renaissance France Friday, December 19
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
Presented by Piffaro, the Renaissance Band
$15-$35
Call 215-235-8469 to order
http://piffaro.org/concerts/

A Christmas Carol Friday, December 19
Upper Darby Performing Arts Center
Presented by Upper Darby Performing Arts Center
$4-$8
Call 610-622-1189 to order
http://www.udpac.org/


Saturday, December 20, 2008

Student Performance Hour, Saturday, December 20
Mary Louise Curtis Branch of Settlement Music School
10 AM, FREE
http://www.smsmusic.org/branches/mlc.php?t=1

Tuba Christmas Saturday, December 20
Kimmel Center - Commonwealth Plaza
FREE! Call 215-893-1999 to order
http://www.kimmelcenter.org/events/plaza.php

Amahl and the Night Visitors Saturday, December 20
Roxborough High SchoolPresented by Delaware Valley Opera Company
$15-$20 Call 215-725-4171 to order
http://www.dvopera.org/index.htm


Sunday, December 21, 2008

Ballet Open House, Sunday, December 21
West Philadelphia Branch of Settlement Music School
2 PM, FREE
http://www.smsmusic.org/branches/westphila.php?t=5

Advent Lessons and Carols
Sunday, December 21st at 5:00 p.m
Philadelphia Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut Street
http://www.philadelphiacathedral.org/content/view/22/82/

Winter Tidings: A Solstice Showcase Sunday, December 21
World Café Live
Call 215-222-1400 to order
http://tickets.worldcafelive.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=2784


Next Week

Ballet Open House and Performance, Monday, December 22
Camden Musical Arts Branch of Settlement Music School
Open Classes 4:30 - 6:00
Performance 6:00PM, FREE
http://www.smsmusic.org/branches/camden.php?t=6

Klezmas Eve and Cantonese Wednesday, December 24
Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel
$0-$18
http://www.bzbi.org/calendar.php

The Moo Shu Jew Show Wednesday, December 24
Ocean City Restaurant
Presented by Gershman Y
$55-$65
http://www.gershmany.org/viewprogram.php?id=18

Tis the Season to Eat Gingerbread Monday, December 22 through Monday, December 29
National Constitution Center
FREE! Call 215-409-6647 to order
http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_calen_Landing.aspx?code=3024


Multiple Performances

The Glorious Sound of Christmas Thursday, December 18 through Saturday, December 20
Kimmel Center - Verizon Hall
Presented by Philadelphia Orchestra and The Philadelphia Singers Chorale
$34-$105 Call 215-893-1999 to order
http://www.philorch.org/

Baroque Christmas Saturday and Sunday, December 20, 21
St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Chestnut Hill
Presented by Vox Ama Deus
$10-$25 Call 610-688-2800 to order
http://www.voxamadeus.org/

A Christmas Carol Through Saturday, December 20
Walnut Street Theatre Presented by Walnut Street Theatre
$5-$15 Call 215-574-3550 to order
http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/season/carol08.php

The Santaland Diaries Through Friday, December 19
Adrienne Theater - Second Stage
Presented by Flashpoint Theatre Company
$10-$15 Call 215-665-9720 to order
http://www.flashpointtheatre.org/0809season_MS4.html

Holidays In The Square Through Saturday, December 20
Franklin SquarePresented by Historic Philadelphia, Inc.
FREE!
http://historicphiladelphia.org/index.php

Christmas Village in Philadelphia Through Wednesday, December 24
Dilworth Plaza
FREE!
http://www.philachristmas.com/28-0-About.html

Holiday Concerts Through Wednesday, December 31
Independence Visitor Center
FREE!
http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/

Parkway Picks Holiday Through Wednesday, December 31
Benjamin Franklin Parkway Presented by Parkway Council Foundation
http://www.parkwaycouncilfoundation.org/pdfs/ParkwayPicksHoliday2008.pdf

It's a Wonderful Life! A Live Radio Play Through Sunday, December 21
Prince Music Theater
$35-$45 Call 215-569-9700 to order
http://www.princemusictheater.org/

Holiday POPS! Through Saturday, December 20
Kimmel Center - Verizon Hall
Presented by Peter Nero and the Philly Pops
$27-$104 Call 215-893-1999 to order
http://www.phillypops.org/

Manayunk's Classic Holiday on Main Festival Through Sunday, December 21
Main Street - Manayunk Presented by Manayunk Development Corporation
FREE!
http://manayunk.com/

The Eight: Reindeer Monologues Through Wednesday, December 31
Society Hill Playhouse
$21 Call 215-923-0210 to order
http://www.societyhillplayhouse.org/redroomsoon.html

Carols in Color Thursday, December 18 through Sunday, December 21
New Freedom Theatre
Presented by Eleone Dance Theatre
$24-$27 Call 215-569-9700 to order
http://eleonedance.org/chistory.htm

For all your holiday shopping needs

Visit the new Settlement Music School online store

Guess Who's Coming to Brunch - John Blake and Diane Monroe

This Sunday, violinists John Blake and Diane Monroe will be performing at the Settlement 100 Brunch & Live Broadcast. Both are Settlement 100 honorees and alumni.

Diane Monroe is a faculty member teaching at the Jenkintown Branch and coaches the Gray Charitable Trust Piano Trio.

John Blake, is an active performer and educator. In November he performed at the Jazz All-Stars Distinguished Alumni Recital. Through Musicopia (formerly Strings for Schools), he gives hundreds of educational concerts and workshops each year.

Don't miss their exciting performance and interview this Sunday, in person or on WRTI.

Guess Who's Coming to Brunch?

On Sunday, December 7, 2008 Settlement Music School will hold the Settlement 100 Sunday Brunch and Live Broadcast at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.

Performing will be:

John E. Blake and Diane Monroe, violins
Beth Levin, piano
Teresa McCann, piano
Joseph Anderer and Leah Mellman Bowes, French horn and piano
Reginald Pindell and Jeffrey Uhlig, baritone and piano
Myer Schwarz Advanced Study Piano Trio
Gail W. Snitzer Advanced Study String Quartet
Rosalie Magen Weinstein and Matthew B. Weinstein Advanced Study Woodwind Quintet

Performances and interviews will be broadcast live on WRTI from 12:00 to 2:00. Please join us or listen in!

To order tickets call 215-320-2686 or go online here.

Jazz All-Stars Review

by Mariel Capanna, current piano student

When bandleader and bass saxophonist Joe Sudler stepped forward to introduce Settlement Music School’s Jazz All-Stars and its collection of accomplished musicians at the Independence Seaport Museum this past Sunday, he thanked Settlement Music School for the unusual opportunity to “bring these old friends and Philadelphians together.” One of many highlights in the school’s Distinguished Alumni Recital Series, the concert showcased nearly two-dozen Settlement graduates and former teachers who now play pivotal roles in local and national jazz communities.

After a brief bout of nostalgia for the city’s late jazz venues once frequented by both the Count Basie and Buddy Rich orchestras, Sudler counted off the first number— “You Got it” by Frank Foster—and with a lively, brassy bang started off the evening’s bittersweet retrospective of the big band jazz which once thrived in Philadelphia. Performed with careful, focused professionalism, the full-band numbers had a tight, clean, full sound. The first set was decorated by solos coolly delivered by jazz great Tony DeSantis on trumpet and Settlement 100 Honoree Sumi Tonooka on piano.

The first of the evening’s several “very fine combos” was comprised of jazz and classical musician Kevin MacConnell on bass; Tony DeSantis on trumpet; International performer Bob Howell on tenor sax; jazz composer and educator Dave Posmontier on piano; and Pennsylvania Council on The Arts fellow Craig McIver on drums, whose set featured two popular selections evoking happy murmurs of recognition from hundreds of audience-members. Soloists broke free with dizzying lines expertly layered and intertwined, eventually smoothed together to ease back into the melody with the entrance of the full combo. The flirty set was at once crowd-pleasing and challenging, playfully tangling and untangling familiar standards.

To the delight of the audience, the second combo started off with a gentle melody played in unison by Duane Eubanks on trumpet and John Simon on both flute and alto sax, who eased in and out of smooth and thoughtful complementary solo lines accompanied by pianist Tonooka, bassist MacConnell, and drummer Dave Gibson. Before delving into their second selection—the humorously manic “Craziology” —Simon voiced his gladness to be performing in Philadelphia since he “hasn’t played here in a while, and not by choice.”

Sudler brought back the big band to end the first half of the recital with Oliver Nelson’s “Stolen Moments,” introducing two special guest soloists: Down Beat Poll winner jazz violinist John E. Blake Jr. and Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Wallace Roney (looking the part of a Grammy Award-winner in a glittering gold jacket and enormous shades). The band served as an aural entourage rolling out the red carpet with haunting bluesy phrases fading in and out to emphasize and echo the stunning solos of Blake and Roney.

During the second half of the concert, between a fun-filled full-band rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s “Intimacy of the Blues” and a sweet, romantic performance of “Aries” featuring a dreamy alto sax solo by John Simon, Sudler took a break to thank Settlement Music School once again and to mourn the loss of jazz education in the modern school system, noting that “a lot of high schools don’t even have bands.”

The final combo starred the consistently dazzling solo and collaborative sounds of pianist Dave Posmontier, bassist Kevin MacConnell, drummer Dave Gibson, trumpeter Wallace Roney, violinist John Blake, and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. The first selection was a highlight of this three-piece set, as straight-up rhythms expertly eased in and out of dark Afro-Cuban grooves in the midst of each solo.

The recital came to a close with one last number from the big band, joined by former member of The Roots, bassist Leonard Hubbard. Though the concert’s program ranged in mood from dreamy and romantic to upbeat and playful, the concert was performed with notably consistent serenity. This can be attributed in part to the professionalism of each All-Star Settlement Music School Alumnus on stage, but it can perhaps also be summed up by the title of the concert’s final piece, echoing the voiced sentiments of bandleader Joe Sudler: “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be.”

Upcoming Alumni Events

An anonymous poster requested more information about what Settlement Alumni are involved in now. This Sunday, November 16 at 3:00 is the Distinguished Alumni Recital: Jazz All-Stars at the Independence Seaport Museum. Most of the performers are alumni of Settlement. This concert is free for Settlement staff, faculty, and students. To order tickets go here.

In December, Settlement Music School will have having the Settlement 100 Brunch. The Settlement 100 is a roster of 100 eclectic, diverse and unexpected individuals whose experiences at Settlement Music School helped shape their lives.

Welcome!

Welcome to the first ever Settlement Music School blog. The purpose of this blog is to allow you – our students, parents, contributors, faculty, and staff – to help shape Settlement Music School’s presence on the web. We need your comments and ideas!

What kinds of information are important to you?
Do you enjoy reading blogs? If so, what topics do you enjoy?
Would a list of upcoming events and review of events be helpful?
Interviews with faculty or alumni?
A look inside what makes Settlement Music School run?
Rehearsal tips or helpful hints from faculty?
How can Settlement Music School (on the web) become a “cultural portal” or reference source for you?
What would you like to see on the School’s web site (www.smsmusic.org)?

Please let us know what you think! We look forward to hearing from you.