A SEASON OF JOYFUL SOUNDS!
SPRING/SUMMER 2023
MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT
Making Our Vision a Reality
There’s so much exciting news this season that we had to make this edition of Great Vibrations bigger! That’s because the collaborative seeds the Mann has planted over the past few years are flowering in unique ways for us to serve our audience and community.
Our first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Festival transformed the Mann’s campus into a college fair that felt—and sounded–like a homecoming spectacular. As you see on our cover, The Philadelphia Orchestra joined in the celebration with the Morgan State University Choir to launch the festival. We are grateful to our lead corporate sponsor TD Bank for sharing our vision to illuminate new paths to higher education for the students in our community, while honoring the rich heritage of HBCUs.
In this issue, you’ll also read about the many ways we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the cultural movement known as hip-hop. Our first Community Artistin-Residence, Philadelphia’s Chill Moody, has a significant role in several of these, from Voices of Hope to our three Downstage @ the Mann events, to a one-of-a-kind performance with The Philadelphia Orchestra and a host of other artists from July through October.
All of this comes on top of a thrilling concert lineup! June opened with another incredible two-day Roots Picnic The Philadelphia Orchestra is back for three weeks this season, our good friend James Taylor returns, and we have THREE films in our Movies @ the Mann series, along with much more.
As I read this issue’s spotlight on Emily Stock, our unflappable Manager of Venue Production Operations, I am reminded of how much fantastic teamwork goes on behind the scenes to make each season possible. From our first-class Mann staff and passionate Board of Directors to our artistic collaborators, our fantastic community partners, our dedicated corporate, foundation, and government supporters, to you, our loyal donors and friends, we are a team effort.
I am so glad you are on our team! Looking forward to seeing you back at the Mann!
Catherine M. Cahill President & CEO
BEHIND OUR COVER IMAGE
Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin led The Philadelphia Orchestra, Morgan State University Choir and four soloists in a joyous rendition of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 during our first-ever HBCU Festival.HBCU FESTIVAL KICKS OFF HISTORIC SEASON
Celebrating Storied Arts, Culture and Educational Opportunities
Q: What does The Philadelphia Orchestra have in common with a college fair?
A: Both were part of the first-ever Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Festival May 18, 19, and 20 that kicked off the Mann’s 2023 season on an uplifting note of hope and possibility.
More than 30,000 people registered to attend and despite the dreary weather forecast, 5,000 people came out to celebrate and participate in the college fair, hiring fair, and other events. Attendees included national HBCU leaders, alums, current and returning college students, middle and highschool students, families, Black fraternities and sororities, and Mann audiences from all walks of life.
The free, multi-day festival was created to offer neighborhood highschoolers and their families exposure to the heritage, artistry, and collegiate excellence that thrive at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). With distinguished alumni such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Vice President Kamala Harris, HBCUs are also known for fostering a rich artistic culture. Yet, as Mann VP and Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer Naomi Gonzalez noted, many Philadelphia youth cannot travel to see these venerable institutions and are not aware of the unique opportunities they provide.
“We wanted to close the gap for these kids,” said Gonzalez, “with an exciting experience like a homecoming pep rally.” Visitors were greeted with drumlines, college mass choirs, marching bands, cheer squads, and noted artists performing throughout the campus and on the main stage. The weekend kicked off the evening of May 18 with a free performance by the GRAMMY®-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Morgan State University Choir led by Choir Director Dr. Eric Conway. The choir then joined with The Philadelphia Orchestra and soloists for a performance of Beethoven’s
“We wanted to close the gap for these kids, with an exciting experience like a homecoming pep rally.”- NAOMI GONZALEZ Chief Education, Community Engagement O fficer & VP Divine 9 Greek sorority member dances to a DJ
Symphony No. 9 conducted by Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. On May 19 NBC10 General Manager General Manager Ric Harris moderated a panel discussion with presidents and alums of regional HBCUs. Then on Sunday, the Mann’s entire 22-acre campus came alive with booths representing more than 26 schools, a variety of local businesses, family activities, music master classes, and an array of chorale, dance, and drumline performances as the finale.
Participating colleges included Cheyney University, Delaware State University, Lincoln University, Morgan State University, Tuskegee University, Stillman College, Oakwood University, Spelman College, Benedict College, and Fisk University. A career fair included TD Bank, PECO Energy, Merck, Germantown Friends School, and Carney Sandoe. Service organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Graduate Philly, the United Negro College Fund, and the National Panhellenic Council were represented.
TD Bank, the Mann’s long-term, lead corporate partner, teamed up with Mann to bring the festival to life. TD Bank’s Head of U.S. Corporate Citizenship and Mann Board member Shelley Sylva was thrilled with the impact. “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically,” she noted. “This is why HBCUs are so important to our society – they are there educating, embracing, nurturing, and developing our Black talent. We know that true success is only possible for businesses in America if we have a diverse pool of critical thinkers.
The Mann accepts EITC (Earned Income Tax Credits) from businesses and now from individuals too, in support of the Mann’s robust array of free Education and Community Engagement initiatives. For information contact: Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer, Joan Roebuck-Carter at jroebuckcarter@manncenter.org
THE GOLDEN SEASON OF HIP-HOP The Mann Celebrates a Cultural Movement’s 50th Anniversary
On August 11, 1973, Jamaican-born musician DJ Kool Herc was playing funk, soul, and disco records at his sister’s backto-school party in the Bronx. Herc used two turntables and a mixer to isolate and extend the percussion “breaks”–the most danceable parts of the songs. That night is often cited as the birth of hip-hop. The extension technique and the energy it injected into dance parties quickly spread to other urban neighborhoods in the U.S. and across the globe.
But hip-hop is more than music; it’s a way of seeing and responding to the world. Break dancing, rap, and graffiti— artistic outlets for people who were marginalized from mainstream culture—enable artists to put an individual stamp on their work. The house of hip-hop was built with five foundational elements or pillars: DJing (aural), MCing (vocal), B-boying/B-girling (physical), Graffiti (visual), and Knowledge of Self (mental).
Below are some basic definitions of some of these pillars and more.
DJING - The artistic handling of beats and music, which includes “scratching”, “beat juggling”, and “cutting” methods
MC or EMCEEING - Short for “Master of Ceremonies”, an MC is the hosts of an event or occasion, introducing performers, speakers, or other participants
RAPPING - Putting spoken-word poetry to a beat
BREAKING - A hip-hop style of street dancing that incorporates coordination, acrobatic and intricate body movements, style, and aesthetics
WRITING - the painting of highly stylized graffiti
THEATER AND LITERATURE - Combining hip-hop elements and themes in drama, poetry, and stories
KNOWLEDGE OF SELF - Considered by many to be one of the most important elements of hip-hop. The moral, social, and spiritual principles that inform and inspire hip-hop ways of being, considered by many, to be one of the most important elements of hip-hop.
This season the Mann pays tribute to the depth and breadth of this expressive movement with a range of exciting events. “We’re infusing hip-hop into programs throughout the season,” says Mann VP of Artistic Planning and Chief Innovation Officer Toby Blumenthal. At the center of the wheel is the venue’s first Community Artist-in-Residence Chill Moody, who is known as Philadelphia’s “music ambassador.” (Read more about him below). Moody curated the performances that will punctuate this year’s Voices of Hope (June 18), showcasing rising hip-hop artists from the Philadelphia area.
In partnership with the Mann’s artistic team, he co-curated this year’s Downstage @ the Mann series, which will be devoted to the 50th anniversary. Each of the three intimate performances, where the audience surrounds the performers onstage, will illuminate different aspects of hip-hop.
• June 29: Moody and rock band Low Cut Connie will present a journey through hip-hop’s collaboration with rock. Graffiti artist Gianni Lee will decorate a Cadillac Escalade (courtesy of sponsor Cadillac) live, as part of the show.
• August 10: Downstage will mark hip-hop’s August “birthday,” with a salute to “Philly’s pillars and pioneers.” DJ Aktive & DJ Cash Money & Project Positive Dance Crew will lead a dance party that will celebrate Philadelphia’s place in the history of this artistic culture.
• October 5: The storytelling subgenre of hip-hop will be center stage on October 5, when Chill Moody collaborates with the genre-busting trio Time for Three. “Love stories, culture clash” will all be part of the evening, which Moody says will “end like a high note.”
The biggest event—on any scale—takes place on July 19 when the Mann stage will feature The Philadelphia Orchestra, the choir, sax, and rhythm sections from the Soulful Symphony, a DJ, a choir, and Chill Moody himself for a free performance of Black Metropolis—Improvisations on Paint Factory by Darin Atwater. (Read more in the Chill Moody story).
With this collaboration, and “how deep we are going with Chill in so many different projects,” says Blumenthal, “the Mann is able to convey certain messages that we can’t when just presenting presenting individual events.” This celebration’s message, adds Moody, “the Mann is a spot where everybody knows the doors are open and feels welcome.”
*Descriptions courtesy of The Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsChill Moody: Our Community Artist-in-Residence
When the Mann’s leadership team began thinking about who could become their first Community Artist-in-Residence, Chill Moody was a shoe-in. The West Philadelphia-born rapper and entrepreneur known as the city’s official “music ambassador” first collaborated with the Mann on the 2020 virtual Roots Picnic. Since then, he’s worked with Music Industry Training Program students in the studio and curated Mann performances at the Please Touch Museum, our Young People’s Concert Series, and Voices of Hope. Now, in his new role, he’s involved in so much that he jokingly dubs himself “the Phantom of the Mann.”
“His artistic sensitivity and natural way of connecting and mentoring make him the perfect person” to start with, says Mann VP and Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer Naomi Gonzalez. Adds VP of Artistic Planning and Chief Innovation Officer Toby Blumenthal, “Chill can work with anybody—from DJs and rappers to (the genre-busting trio) Time for Three to The Philadelphia Orchestra.” Which is exactly what he has been doing to prepare for the groundbreaking projects that highlight the Mann’s season-long tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
What makes Chill Moody so versatile? “Mostly my life story,” Moody muses. “Going to elementary school at Masterman—a culture shock— and learning about different cultures, going to bar mitzvahs, extending my friend base and then going to Millersville College” all shaped his experience and his musical work. “A lot of my music has live instrumentation in it. Philly music has always been about the live sound, with production elements like string arrangements.”
He’s excited to explain how each of the three Downstage @ the Mann events will shed light on different aspects of hiphop, from graffiti (June 29) to break dancing (Aug 10) to storytelling (Oct 5). As co-curator of these performances and of Voices of Hope, Chill is giving opportunities to rising local artists. “I’m a fan of my city,” he says. “I pay attention, so I can plug people in who deserve it and who will make us all look good.” Adds Blumenthal, “Chill’s so active” as a performer and role model. “All these kids he’s directly in front of think, ‘this can be me in 15 or 20 years.’”
The most ambitious of Chill’s projects is Black Metropolis: Improvisations on Paint Factory, which will be premiered at a free concert on July 19. He is collaborating with Darin Atwater, the classically trained, Washington D.C.-grown composer of the original Paint Factory. Atwater wrote the original Paint Factory to reflect “how music and culture constructs our urban landscape,” he explains. He conducted the premiere in Baltimore in 2007 with the Soulful Symphony, an ensemble of people of color and an artistic affiliate of the Baltimore Symphony
The new version features rappers, DJs, dancers, choirs, and visual artists along with The Philadelphia Orchestra. “The goal for the new piece was to connect Paint Factory to the evolution of hip-hop in neighborhoods like the Bronx, West Parkside, Chicago’s South Side,” explains Blumenthal. “As Chill and Darin went through hours of Chill’s music and lyrics, they found overlapping themes” and began to combine them. Adds Atwater, “There are 4 scenes, or tableaux, starting with the Big Bang,” which explores how the movement began. “Chill is guiding us through the Black Metropolis,” Atwater says. “His songs are anchors in each tableau.”
Atwater describes the new work, which has expanded from his original 45-minute composition to a 75-90-minute piece, as a “ballad opera, like Beggar’s Opera or Mendelssohn’s Elijah, but hip hop. “Chill is like the Evangelist.”
“Black Metropolis is about a multitude of neighborhoods,” Moody explains, “not just one linear story. The story we want to tell is that the journey to Black celebration is one of trials and triumph. A lot of the journey isn’t pretty, but we’re trying to add some beauty to the struggle, and after the struggle. It’s a little like opera.”
As if all this isn’t enough, Chill’s company is developing some new beer and kombucha beverages that the Mann hopes to feature at its concessions this summer. What do his parents think of how far he’s come? “They tell me ‘You’re always doing so much. When do you rest?’”
Chill’s answer: “My one goal is to inspire,” something he is clearly doing as the Mann’s first Community Artist-inResidence. “I used to ride my bike past the venue and think ‘I might be on that stage one day.’ Now I’m opening doors.”
“THE PHANTOM OF THE MANN”
SPOTLIGHT
Emily Stock Takes Care of Business
Emily Stock remembers some intense moments from last summer’s Mann season. “After two nights of Phish– the biggest show of the season– we had to turn around for a 10:30 a.m. Philadelphia Orchestra rehearsal,” she recalls. It was Stock’s first summer as the Mann’s Manager of Venue Production Operations, and those several hours called on just about all her skills.
“We were done with the Phish loadout at around 2:30 a.m. and we had a 5 a.m. call the same morning to get the (orchestra) shell in place. I slept on my couch in the office, got up at 4 a.m. and cooked breakfast for the crew,” she says. Was that part of the job description? “My job is to make sure that the people who are there to work have what they need. I’m a mom. It was easier to make scrambled eggs than to rustle up catering at that hour.”
It also doesn’t hurt that Stock has 20 years of freelance experience under her belt working with production from the Red Bull Music Festival to Spotify to touring with The Roots, who gave Stock her first job, at age 18. A Temple alum, she studied piano and trumpet in high school but realized she was more comfortable backstage than performing.
At the Mann, Stock coordinates production logistics for each show with her Mann colleagues and visiting artist teams. There’s equipment for sound, lighting, video, platforms, spotlights, speakers, etc. There’s the labor to build and tear down the shows, and the coordination of load in and load out. There’s tremendous variation. “Van Morrison travels with one semitruck,” she explains. “Phish has 11.” Off-season is mostly planning and prepping for purchases and rentals. But “once April starts, I’m holding my breath until mid-October,” Stock jokes.
She also sees and hears a lot from artists themselves. “The Mann is very welcoming,” she says. “Most people in the industry say it’s their favorite venue to play. It’s quirky, it has a lot of character and a unique history. James Taylor is coming back this season; he’s been here 21 times. Artists like him, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant—these heritage artists have been touring for decades and this place feels familiar and comfortable to them. They feel like they’re being taken care of.”
Emily Stock also feels taken care of. As a single mom, she appreciates that her two young daughters are permitted to join her for dinner and even some of the shows. “They come into my office, and they know where the snacks are,” she jokes, “but they also know how to behave.”
SUMMER 2023 NEWS FLASH Highlights Ahead!
The Mann’s 2023 season is packed with musical treasures for all tastes! Along with these highlights, you can find the whole lineup at MannCenter.org/Events.
The Philadelphia Orchestra is back with its annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular on June 20. The Orchestra performs a tribute to The Trailblazing Music of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Carly Simon on June 22. One of the Mann’s most frequent performers returns July 1: An Evening with James Taylor & His All-Star Band
WXPN Welcomes a first-time collaboration between guitarist-vocalist Amos Lee and The Philadelphia Orchestra on July 20.
Movie lovers alert: The Philadelphians perform Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert on June 24 and Jurassic Park in Concert on July 22. Come back September 14 for Rocky in Concert with The Baltimore Symphony
The Mann’s Development team is grateful to you, our supporters for your generous, annual financial contributions. To learn more about Membership at the Mann, please contact our Membership Office at (215) 546-7900 Ext. 129 or by email at Membership@MannCenter.org
VOICES OF HOPE 2023
Save the Date: June 18
The Mann is thrilled to announce that Voices of Hope: A Celebration of Black Excellence Powered by TD Bank will return to our stage for a free in-person event on June 18. This annual event honors Philadelphia trailblazers who embody a culture of compassion and positive change.
You won’t want to miss this amazing evening celebrating four inspirational Philadelphians: Loree D. Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance; Senator Vincent J. Hughes of Senate District 7, Pennsylvania State Senate; Sharmain MatlockTurner, CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition; and Reverend Dr. Allyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Rounding out the program will be performances co-curated by the Mann’s first-ever Community Artist-in-Residence, Philadelphia’s own Chill Moody Contemporary gospel artist and comedian Jermaine Dolly will host and emcee this all-star evening!
FROM THE VAULT
Judy Garland’s Solo Debut
In July of 1943, Judy Garland had just turned twenty-one years old. Already a major star and veteran of stage and screen, including the iconic Wizard of Oz, the one thing Garland had not done was give a solo concert. That changed on July 10, 1943, when she appeared at the Robin Hood Dell, with famous conductor Andre Kostelanetz leading the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra.
Garland’s star power drew a record crowd. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the line started forming at the gates three and a half hours before showtime. In addition to the 15,000 ticketed attendees, almost as many listened on the hillsides outside the gates. 5,000 more left when they couldn’t find spots close enough.
Garland sang selections from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess followed by a medley of songs she had made famous in her movies, including, of course, “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. The Inquirer reviewer noted, “Frankly nervous at the beginning … the songstress gradually warmed to her stint, and the enthusiastic reception accorded that opening group [of Gershwin songs] must have removed her expressed fears that the audience wouldn’t like her singing….”
By the final number—a spirited version of “The Joint is Really Jumpin’ Down at Carnegie Hall,” which she sang in the about-to-be-released movie, Thousands Cheer, “Judy really cut loose here, and apparently enjoyed it as much as the audience, for she said, “I think it would be sorta fun if we did that last number over again.” In the encore, she substituted the words “Robin Hood Dell” once for “Carnegie Hall.”
Although she died of a barbiturate overdose in 1969 at age fortyseven, Judy Garland’s successful concert career began on a happy note at Philadelphia’s Robin Hood Dell.
Contributed by the Mann Center’s Historian, Jack McCarthy
July 1, 1943 ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer